Undisclosed Desires
by XSiriusIsTheBestX
Summary: "No. We made a deal and we're going to stick with it. And Granger, judging by the last session of sex, I don't think you want it to end." Hermione blushed furiously, "You don't want it to either." He chuckled darkly, "I never denied that." Intrigued?
1. Undisclosed Desires

**UNDISCLOSED DESIRES**

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart  
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask  
I want to exorcise the demons from your past  
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart  
- Muse

Draco Malfoy could not comprehend how a mudblood, especially one as clever and brainy as her, could be so mind blowingly delicious in bed. He was disgusted at the thought of enjoying that extreme pleasure with filthy blooded Granger but the heat, the intensity, the complete _ecstasy_ broke his will every single time and he found himself yet again in the Room Of Requirement with the bushy haired, fast maturing girl. He could have never imagined, in a hundred years, that under her slightly over sized, black, school robes, she had the body of a Goddess. Smooth and curvy, innocent in a way that was unexplainable. Draco had tried - tried _so_ hard to stay away from that mesmerizing body but one he was in, there was no going back. The craving had him running to her at the end of every week, his will broken, his pride forgotten and trampled on as the clothes were ripped from her body.

It was dark in the Room of Requirement; It always was. Draco and Hermione would try to fool themselves by thinking that someone else was lying beside them, someone not so distinctly different from them. Draco imagined a girl of Slytherin, a pure blood, some one he would be proud to show his family to, someone worthy of holding the Malfoy name one day. To Hermione, the stranger in the darkness was a boy, a simple boy, devoid of issues and not completely submerged in darkness.

His hand was resting on her creamy hip, slowly traveling up her body, making her eyes roll back and shiver, despite the light sheen of sweat covering her body. The hand was rough against her smooth skin, but Hermione liked that in a sick kind of way. There were so many things she liked that she could not explain; his cold, gray eyes sent shivers down her spine, his tall, thin body did not match with her short curvy one but she liked that. Somehow, it reminded her that this … thing with Draco was nothing serious; they had no goal, no aim. It was just the two of them enjoying the indescribable pleasure that they brought each other.

Draco cupped her breast, running his thumb over the erect peak. He hear Hermione moan softly, and despite his recent thoughts, he smirked. She arched her back, giving him proper exposure to her breasts, begging him in a way that had an almost animal like growl ripping from Draco's throat. He bent his head and slowly circled the nipple with his tongue before gathering up every bit of restrain in his body and throwing his legs off the bed.

He gathered his clothes from the foot of it, pulling on his black pants. He grabbed the white shirt, and pulled it on, slowly closing the buttons. From the darkness, she heard him whisper in a hoarse and raspy voice, dripping with need, "When will be the next time?"

He finished doing the last button on his shirt and ran a hand through his light blonde hair, a little light falling from the ceiling and illuminating his gray eyes, "Maybe tomorrow. Maybe in a week, a month, a _year_. Don't ask such stupid questions, Granger - you know I don't have the answer to that."

He heard her sigh deeply before falling back on to the bed, which had moved quite a couple of inches from the wall due to their activity on it. "I don't think I can do this anymore, Malfoy."

"No," he snapped, picking up his wand from where he left it, "We have a deal and we're going to keep it, until both of us want it to expire, yeah? And, Granger, judging by this last session, I don't think you want our little deal to end."

Hermione blushed furiously, "_You_ don't want it to either."

"I never denied that," he said cooly, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on, slipping the wand into his jean's pockets, "Until next time, Granger."

* * *

So yeah, I've decided to step out of my little shell of The Marauders. :P I only ever write stories about them because they were not fully described in Harry Potter, leaving room for your own traits. I never wanted to write fics about the golden trio or any other characters because I was afraid I might screw them up. But I decided to take a risk and here you are, with my very first Dramione. I hope you all like it and please keep on reading, the chapters will get longer, better, darker and smuttier. I warned you, yeah? :P

Please review! Tell me what you think? Please? :D


	2. Under A Blood Red Sky

**UNDER A BLOOD RED SKY**

Here she comes with a master plan  
And I'm starting to loose control  
Here she comes to this trash of a man  
And I'm ready to taste it all when  
She's bringing me in, checking me out  
Making me glorious  
- U2

Hermione blushed furiously as he strutted out the door, leaving her alone in the room of requirement. Her body was aching with need and he hated him for this little trick of his, of always leaving her wanting more, ensuring that she would rush to him every time he called for her. It made her sick to think that she was like a puppy to him, to Draco Malfoy, but what could she do? The lucky bastard was just _that_ good.

She gathered up her clothes, quickly changing into them. Her shirt was not buttoned up properly, her skirt a bit too high and her shoes untied but in her haste to get out of the room, she did not bother making herself presentable. She regretted this the minute she walked out into the hall.

"HERMIONE! Where have you _been_? We've been looking all over for you!"

She jumped as she turned and saw Ron and Harry walking towards her, wearing expressions of utter annoyance. Her hand automatically moved towards her hair and she started smoothing them - after all, sex hair would surely give away her secret. The secret, the deal - the pact that no one could ever know about.

Hermione, having been hurt by Ron and his 'Lav Lav', had run to the owlery to send a letter to Victor Krum, moaning about how utterly sad her life had become. Draco had showed up there, dark circles under his eyes, looking rather depressed himself. Obviously the two started off with their wise taunts but soon, he was moving towards her and she towards him, until they ended up slamming their bodies together so hard, it made her shiver every time she thought about it.

The two had agreed that no one could know about their little deal; it was better that way, to keep it a secret. Harry and Ron would, for one, kill her. Not that she wouldn't enjoy seeing Ron's reaction. And Draco's reputation of being … well, _Draco_, would collapse and be damaged beyond repair if they knew that he was screwing Granger every week.

"Come on, let's get down to dinner, I'm starving," Ron complained, not even throwing a second glance at Hermione and her state.

Harry raised an eyebrow at Hermione, questioning her but she simply shrugged, "I'm tired, you two. I'll just meet you in the common room, alright?"

They mumbled some words which Hermione had difficulty making out. Ron stomped off to the hall, with Harry by his side, talking about some quidditch match. But Harry wasn't paying attention; he was looking back over his shoulder, at Hermione's retreating back, wondering what in the world had gotten into his best friend.

o. O. o

Draco was hungry. After all that activity, he was bound to be. Crabbe and Goyle were shocked to see him pile his plate with heaps of food, going up to their level. They asked him about it while Draco was stuffing his face with pork chops, but he simply shrugged.

"Where were you just now?" Goyle asked, spooning mashed potatoes onto his plate.

Draco sighed and replied cooly, "I don't see how that's your concern, Goyle."

"But we're curious," Crabbe moaned, "You've been disappearing so much lately! Where do you go off to? You should let us in, you know. After all, we _are_ on the same side as you are."

Draco was silently gulping down his pumpkin juice, wishing that he had decided to go straight up to the common room rather than to the Great Hall for dinner. He was looking around and his eyes fell on the Gryffindor table, where Potter and Weasley were sitting. Granger was not with them; in fact, she wasn't anywhere to be seen. She had probably gone off to the library for researching on that stupid essay McGonagall set for them -

A light bulb went on in Draco's head, "I was in the library - researching on - on dark spells and dark arts."

Goyle and Crabbe nodded approvingly and started discussing Quidditch. Draco exhaled in relief, running his hand through his light blonde hair again to make them even more disheveled than before. He reminded himself to thank Granger the next time they met up for reminding him of an excuse - but Draco remembered how she was below him, and how he did not need to thank her.

He did not have to thank anyone.

He was Draco Malfoy - alone, _independent_.

o. O. o

Hermione was exhausted, her legs aching and her need still not satisfied. She was cursing Draco Malfoy, cursing him to the darkest pits of hell. It was unfair how he was the one in control, when it was really Hermione's thing. She was supposed to be the one with the authority, the _power_. But he had her on her knees, rolling around on her unmade beg, begging for more.

There was a soft tapping at her window. Hermione groaned and threw her pillow over her face to block out the annoying sound - but after _another_ bird joined the older one, she couldn't avoid the sound any longer and marched towards the window. She cursed the birds too, as she had finally been falling asleep. Throwing open the window, she saw a gorgeous black owl with regal and magnificent feathers, as well as a small, tawny brown one, throwing envious glances at the black owl that was proudly hooting around the room.

She sighed and looked down at the two letters, wondering which one to open first.


	3. Waiting

**WAITING**

See the stone set in your eye  
See the thorn twist in your sigh  
I wait for you  
Slight of hand, and twist of faith  
On a bed of nails, she makes me wait  
And I wait without you  
- U2

Draco Malfoy wondered if he should be ashamed of himself.

'Of course not,' said a polite voice in his head, 'You have _needs_. Granger - despite her filthy blood _fulfills_ these needs. You vent out with her and it helps you to channel all your energy into better things. It does not matter that you want sex from her twice in a day; it does not matter at _all_.'

Draco groaned. He should be _so_ ashamed.

He scribbled a couple of words and after stroking his owl Ares, sent him off to the Gryffindor Tower - to deliver the letter to Granger. Surely she would comply, after he left her with that dripping need. He smirked as he loosened his tie, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and making his way out of the Slytherin common room, ignoring all surprised looks on his fellow Slytherins; after all, the sight of Draco Malfoy smiling had become a rare occurrence.

_Hermione Granger makes you smile._

Draco rolled his eyes at the taunting voice and began to climb all the way back up from the dungeons to the Room of Requirement. Indeed, it was a requirement. His body was burning, his heart almost aching and his stomach rolling - every cell in his body demanding that very same pleasure. The one that not Pansy, not any girl he had ever slept with before, could bring him.

S_tupid, bloody, Gryffindor strength_, he grumbled in his mind as he walked down the corridor, _Stupid Gryffindors with their stupid abilities in bed._

He walked past the room of requirement thrice, until the door finally appeared. He walked inside, into the usual darkness and sat on the made bed, thinking about how it would be a mess in just a few minutes. He was excited and that was always a good thing; it made him excellent in bed, which made Hermione outstanding.

Hermione?

_Granger_! Her name is Granger!

He sighed and looked at the watch his father had given him for his seventeenth birthday. Granger was late; this was odd, because she had always been punctual, desperate to continue with their sinful acts. In a way, Draco enjoyed how sinful it was - premarital sex, as well as sex with a mudblood. It made him feel so submerged in darkness, that he felt powerful.

He was making random sparks emit from his wand when she finally entered. Her skin was pale enough so that the little light from the ceiling illuminated it, and he felt a rush of white hot desire attack his body. He strode forward, grabbing her face and slamming his mouth against hers. Her lips moved with his; like they always did. But somehow, a certain excitement that moved those pink lips was absent. She was holding Draco close to herself, but she wasn't grabbing at him like she always did.

Draco didn't let this bother him; why should it matter to him if she was enjoying or not? It was all just to give _him_ pleasure.

He gave her a nudge so that she fell back onto the bed and he made his way up her creamy body, before resting between her legs, his finger stroking under neath the skirt. He was surprised to see that it was completely dry. Frowning, he continued up until his face was buried in her neck, sucking a bit desperately at a soft spot on the base of her neck. He licked the hollow beneath her throat and was surprised when he did not get a strangled moan from her, like he always did.

Was Draco losing his touch?

"Granger, stop acting like a fucking corpse," he hissed, throwing her arms above her head and pulling off the white school blouse. She remained unmoving, her eyes staring straight up at the ceiling. She looked so dead and so hurt that Draco found himself hesitating and staring at her in wonder and a bit - a BIT of worry.

"Granger?" he asked, pulling away to look down at her face. He was surprised to see a tear glistening on the cheek.

The tear was beautiful. Pearly and transparent on her pale skin - it opened up something deep within Draco, and he couldn't figure out what it was. In a very tender voice, the young Slytherin asked, "Hermione?"

Her eyes snapped to his face at the sound of her name. She looked at him and asked, "Yes?"

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, holding himself carefully as to not crush her underneath him. "Why aren't you … well … you know …"

Hermione looked at him, as if she was staring right past him, to the ceiling above his head. Draco didn't like it; it made him feel insignificant, something that he abhorred. He wanted her eyes to be looking at him hungrily, to have her lips parted like she did when he did miraculous things to her body, he wanted her to -

"My mother's dead."

"Oh," Draco was almost cursing that stupid muggle in his head because now, it was obvious that he wasn't getting any tonight.

* * *

Chapter three! Hoped you all liked it! :)

Okay guys I just wanted to clarify that this is a complete Alternate Universe fic! It does not follow the books! Well ... not completely. It does follow it a little, I guess. But any way. I hoped you all liked this chapter. I think I explained Draco a bit more, or is that just me? Oh well.

LOL. People are so shocked at the fact that I wrote a dramione. :P

Any way, please review! Tell me what you think - you like it, you love it, you adore it, you hate it, you detest it, abhor it - WHATEVER you think, tell me please! :D


	4. Two Sides Of The Same Coin

**TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN**

You went deeper into black, deeper into white  
You see the stars shine like nails in the night  
You felt the healing, healing hands of love  
Like the stars shining, shining from above  
Hand in the pocket, a finger on the steel  
Dissed away in heaven, his heart he could feel  
Was beating, beating, beating  
- U2

Draco didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do at that moment. Was he to get off of her or was he supposed to comfort her with sex? He wished that she would pick the latter but it was obvious with that unseeing stare and unmoving body that her wishes were not the same as Draco's. He sighed deeply and moved off her body, rolling on to the other side of the bed.

"So what now?" he asked, looking up into the starry ceiling.

Hermione shrugged, "The funeral is tomorrow."

Draco cleared his throat rather uncomfortably, "How long will you be gone for?"

"I don't know, Malfoy," she said, her voice like steel, sharp and strong, cutting across the heavy silence in the room, "So until then, I just came to tell you that the deal is suspended for some time."

Draco rolled his gray eyes but said nothing. She threw her creamy legs off the bed and fixed her blouse and skirt, her hair a tangled mess. She didn't care at that moment; of course she didn't care. Who would, in a situation where you had lost your mother, even if she was as horrible as Hermione's was -

She was walking away from the bed and to the exit when Draco said in a rough and husky voice, "Wait, Granger."

She turned around and blinked in surprise when she found Draco right behind her, standing way too close for a polite or even rude conversation. He gave her a crooked smile; not one that had her swooning like you would imagine. It had her rather scared, because the lips of Draco twisted with a kind of dark elegance that made her shiver.

He walked forward so that their bodies were brushing, her hand resting very lightly on his chest. He put a hand on the small of her back, bending down to give her a ferocious kiss that knocked the breath out of her. She was so concentrated on how bloody amazing the kiss was that she didn't notice her hand slipping down and down, until it was under her skirt, stroking the wetness.

She broke away from his urgent lips to let out a moan, clutching at him. He was smirking, getting the reaction that he wanted. She was leaning against him weakly as he buried a finger inside her, followed by another one which had her a shaking mess in his arms. She had slipped her hand down to stroke his erection, which was poking her thigh. Draco let out a hiss and Hermione a string of moans that had him growing even harder.

She pulled away, gasping for breath, "I can't."

Draco looked lust driven, his gray eyes wild, his hair disheveled. Hermione was aching as she looked at his tall and lean body, almost pooling right there and then when he gave the same dark, twist of a smile. "Of course you can't. I'll see you when you get back."

He walked around her, once again, being the first one to leave the Room of Requirement. Hermione could feel a strange feeling under her eyes, which soon dissolved into tears. Her clit throbbing, her mind aching and her heart broken, she slumped to the ground, her face hidden by her springy curls.

She waited for the thud of the door closing but it didn't come. Maybe he had already left; that was like him. Draco Malfoy did not care that her mother had passed away or that she was in the worst state of her life. Draco Malfoy just wanted the pleasure she brought him, he just wanted her body and her -

Suddenly, she felt someone slip their hands into hers. He sighed coldly, "Do you want me to stay here with you?"

Hermione looked up at him in surprise, her brown eyes meeting his gray ones. His face was cold, and so were his eyes. But deep within them, in the stormy flecks, she saw a kind of softness, a vulnerability. It touched something deep with in, so deep that she found herself nodding and without his consent, without even asking or thinking, she was crawling into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her head in the crook of his neck and crying her heart out.

Draco sat there, horrified for a second - he didn't know what to do exactly. Was he to be his former self and throw her off him or was he going to be mature and give a grieving girl some consolation?

He decided to be the latter and patted her awkwardly on the back.

o. O. o

It was dawn and Hermione was walking back up to the Gryffindor common room, shuffling her feet and dreading heading home for the funeral. She had never really liked her mother, or even her father really. But no child in this world wouldn't grieve the death of their parents. She actually felt guilty for how she had treated her mother in the past couple of years, giving her such little importance.

Hermione trudged up the stairs to her dorm, grabbed a small bag and began to stuff in clothes. Everyone was sleeping peacefully, and she abhorred them at that moment. Every single one of them. None of them had problems like her; they all had alive, healthy parents, none of them had made a pact with the devil, none of them had a life that was even as remotely as messed up as Hermione Granger's.

She grabbed her bag and began to walk down towards the common room, ready to take a portkey back to her house. She came out of the girl's dorms and the first person she ran into was a certain red head, looking rather anxious.

"Ron," Hermione said, rather coldly.

"Hermione," he said in a breathy whisper, "I … I heard. How - how are you?"

Hermione shrugged, "fine."

She was about to walk forward, towards the exit but he stepped in her way, "Hermione, I'm really sorry for your loss."

She sighed, "I know, Ron. Now please move."

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Ron, I don't have time for this -"

"I'll come with you."

"_What_?"

"To the funeral, I mean," Ron gulped, looking down at her broken and hurt brown eyes. "You need moral support."

She stared at him for a while, her heart crumbling to pieces in her chest. She raised a hand, cupping a side of his face. He leaned into her hand, putting his own over hers. He was about to say something but she cut across him with words that had Ron's lips parting in shock, "You bastard."

"W - what?"

"You use me, you make me fall for you, you keep me waiting for four years, you then choose LAVENDER BROWN over me and you expect me to - to -" Hermione was spluttering in anger. Ron was about to say something but she held up her hand, cutting across him, "Don't you dare come to me, Ronald Weasley. For all I care, you're dead to me."

She walked past him but he grabbed her wrist, "Hermione … don't."

"Don't what, Ronald?" she asked coldly, snatching away her wrist, "Treat you like you've treated me all these years?"

Ron was stunned into silence, watching the girl who had once loved him, leave the common room. She was carrying herself in a way that was completely different and Ron noticed this for the very first time; it was almost as if she had had her entire view of the world changed, as if SHE had changed herself. In a way, it was sadistic and dark and this horrified Ron.

As soon as she left, he ran up to his dorm, throwing back the curtains of Harry's bed. He shook the teenage boy's shoulder until he cursed him and sat up, rubbing his neck as he glared at Ron, "_What_?"

"Something's gotten into Hermione, Harry. Something really, _really_ bad."

* * *

Umm. 1700 hits, sixty one alerts, twenty seven favorites and six reviews? :'( Well, that was kinda sad. Haven't any of you joined the review revolution? :D

Okay, I LOVED this chapter for some reason. I know, I know I wrote it and I am my worst critique but I really liked it. I like showing how Hermione is with the two boys who play the most important role in her life. Well, in this story, any way.

So I hope you liked it and please review! I'm craving reviews like I'm craving toblerone? OMG! Is anyone craving toblerone? If you are, say 'I'! :D

- Sherry


	5. Running To Stand Still

**RUNNING TO STAND STILL**

Sweet the sin, bitter the taste in my mouth  
I see seven towers, but I only see one way out  
You gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking  
Scream without raising your voice  
You know I took the poison from the poison stream  
Then I floated out of here  
- U2

Hermione was swallowed by a whirl of wind after touching the glowing portkey. It spun her round and round until her head was ready to burst and her stomach painfully lurched, threatening to contract and make her retch quite violently.

She staggered and found herself, sprawled across her door step, in the familiar neighborhood. It was not yet six a.m so every one was still sound asleep in their beds. She was grateful for that; at least no one would come up to her, bugging her with their "We're so sorry for you loss" speeches. Hermione always found them incredibly fake.

She plunged her hand into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a key. After twisting it in her lock, it clicked open she stepped inside. The hallway was covered in tiny pieces of broken glass, all probably from the way her father must have reacted at the news. She sighed, pulled out her wand and with a swish of it, made the mess vanish. Walking out, towards the stairs, she passed the lounge - and there her father was.

He was sitting on his arm chair, next to the crackling fire, holding a bottle of whiskey. He took a swig from it as he looked at his daughter, with cold, unforgiving eyes. He sighed and said in a rough voice, "Go to your bedroom. I'll deal with you after I get some sleep."

A shiver of fear swept Hermione's body as she nodded and trudged up the stairs. 'Deal with you later' could only mean one thing; but Hermione was used to it. In past summers, there was always an occasional beating lasting for no more than a minute. But it was still a beating and it hurt and stung. Her father had a temper problem; and the only one who could calm him down had been her mother.

She sighed and threw open the door of her bedroom before gasping in surprise. A large, black dog was resting on her bed, looking up at her with lazy eyes. Hermione closed the door and said, "Good _God_, Sirius, you scared me to death."

The dog rolled his eyes and in a split second, it was Sirius who was lying on her bed, his arms bent behind his head and his legs crossed at the ankle. Hermione stopped dead for a second in the doorway after seeing him; his face was fuller, his hair cut short until they were only cascading above his shoulders. His gray eyes were brighter, but still lacking the life in them that used to blaze once upon a time. But nonetheless, he looked a thousand times better than the last time she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, throwing her bag onto a nearby chair.

"I came to check up on you," Sirius shrugged, "Dumbledore's orders."

"Why?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, "I don't need anyone checking up on me. I'm not Harry, you know."

Sirius rolled his gray eyes, "God, Hermione, do you really think Dumbledore doesn't know about your father and his habits?"

Hermione was stunned into silence, staring at the good looking man lounging on her bed. He was humming a soft tune, looking up at the ceiling and pretending not to notice her blatant staring. He sighed and said, "I'm sorry about your mother, Hermione."

Hermione nodded and gulped, going to curl up in a chair. Sirius was quiet for a long time before saying, "When your father is 'dealing' with you, he makes one wrong move and you scream, yeah? Then I'll come and I'll beat the crap out of him, okay?"

Hermione nodded and was about to let her eyes flutter shut when she heard her father's booming voice echo her name around the house. Sirius's head (he was a dog at the moment) shot up and he threw a concerned look at Hermione. She gave him a reassuring look before disappearing downstairs.

Sirius sighed with relief when he didn't hear her scream.

But Hermione was crying, curled up on the floor of her lounge, bruises covering her body.

o. O. o

The funeral was over; Hermione had successfully managed to hide all the injuries on her face and arms but her chest and back still had them as she could't get the proper angle to heal them. Sirius had left because she told him that her father was too upset to do anything vicious today; little did Sirius know what a great, big, fat lie that was.

Hermione almost ripped her black dress as she tore it off her body. Standing there in nothing but her underwear and bra, she let the cool wind from the open window caress her. It had always been good at calming her down and she was getting ready -

"Granger?"

Hermione jumped and turned to face the sound and nearly died of a heart attack when she saw Draco standing in the corner, a cold but lusty expression on his face. Her hand shot up to her heart as she gasped out, "What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?"

He shrugged, "I thought you could use some … _comforting_."

Hermione knew what comforting meant in his dictionary. She was about to tell him to throw himself out the window when he suddenly moved forward, his expression changing with an emotion that Hermione had difficulty pin pointing, "Why are there bruises all over your body?"

Hermione just realized that she had been almost naked; she quickly grabbed her black dress and used it to shield herself from his piercing stare, "It's nothing."

"Granger?" Draco asked.

"I said it's nothing, Malfoy!" Hermione hissed, horrified when her voice broke at his name and the funny feeling in her eyes dissolved to tears.

Draco stared at her for a long time, contemplating what in Merlin he was supposed to do. She had turned away from him, trying to hide her tears and he sucked in a gasp of breath as he saw the blue black bruises on her body. They looked painful and he was sure that they were.

Draco couldn't understand why this was bothering him; perhaps it was the fact that someone had harmed the body that she had willingly made his? That sweet, curvy body which did not have a single fault in it had been made his and he did not fancy anyone messing it up. He wanted it to be perfect; to restore it back to what it used to be. He wanted to heal it.

Draco sighed and grabbed her wrist, leading her to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and unclasped her bra, groaning when he saw that there were red brown bruises on her breasts too. He slipped down her underwear and she sucked in a shaky breath in pain when it grazed some of the sore spots on her legs. He helped her into the shower and then took off his own shirt, stepping in himself.

"Malfoy," Hermione said, her voice trembling, "What are you doing?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he very softly traced the bruises on her back, taking out his wand and performing spells to make them vanish. She shivered at his touch as the hot water pounded down on them and blessings for him were littering her mind as he erased all the pain from her body.

"Thank you," Hermione wept, her voice thick, "Thank you."

Draco turned her waist so that she was now facing him. He towered above her and she was looking up at him, at his stormy gray eyes that seemed to look right through her. She wondered how it was Draco Malfoy who seemed to know her better than anyone now? How was it, that in a short stretch of two months, Draco had managed to master Hermione?

She stopped troubling her head once he pulled her to him fiercely, slamming their wet bodies and mouths together, for a steamy kiss that had Hermione dazed for days.

* * *

Sorry! I know this chapter is short, but I have a lot of homework to do and my debate camp is coming up which is blah so ...

Well any way! I'm so glad that a lot of you are liking this story so far! I'm really enjoying writing it as well because the idea of Hermione becoming dark was always very appealing to me. Plus, Draco Malfoy? Errr, do I need an explanation? :P

Well anyway! Please review and tell me what you think! The more the reviews, the faster I update! :D (Cause of the encouragement)

Hahahaha. Hope you all like it and REVIEW! :)

- Sherry


	6. Release

**RELEASE**

A falling star fell from your heart  
And landed in my eyes  
I screamed aloud as it tore through them  
And now it's left me blind  
- Florence and the Machine

Draco rolled off her, panting after giving his best performance to date. Hermione was gasping for breath, her eyes wide beside him, wondering how it was possible for someone to be so _unbelievably_ amazing at sex. It should be a crime for someone to be this good; Draco Malfoy could use this as a weapon to conquer all the women in the world.

It was dark in the room, except for a little bit of light being let in by Hermione's window. She looked at him, only to see him looking at the ceiling, his gray eyes wide and excited but his face somber. Before she knew it, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her on top of him. She shivered at the friction created between their bare bodies and that made him smile.

Hermione stopped dead.

A _smile_.

It was not a smirk, not a cocky grin, not even that weird twisted crooked smile that he had. It was a proper smile, one lighting up his face, making his gray eyes glow. Hermione didn't know why this had her tearing up; perhaps because it was the first genuine show of kindness that she had seen ever since her mother died? She let out a watery chuckle; who knew that it would be _Draco Malfoy_ to show her kindness.

"Granger?" he asked, his voice a breathy whisper. He winced a little when a few of her tears fell onto his face. She was crying; Draco didn't have the patience for a weeping woman normally but … she looked so beautiful when she cried.

Draco mentally shook his head, getting rid of those thoughts. But he saw her and she was grieving, in such pain and agony that her expression had him pulling her down and embracing her so hard that she burst into proper tears, sobbing and crying out all her feelings for the first time in months.

"I … I …" she wept, her voice thick and muffled by Draco's neck.

"It's okay," he whispered, picking his words carefully as to not embarrass himself by saying something overly out of order.

"Draco," she wept. A jolt went through his body; it was the first time that she had used his name; his actual name. He liked the way her voice played with it, liked how it sounded on her lips, "Draco, I'm lost."

Draco had no reply. He simply embraced her, pulling her closer and closer to his body.

o. O. o

The intimacy.

That was the reason that Hermione's very clever brain came up with. It had been the intimacy that had alarmed Draco that night - making him stay away from her for more than a month. They had both woken up at dawn and Draco had all but fled from the room, horrified that he had actually _slept_ in the same bed afterwards and had comforted her the entire night. His expression had been one of disgust and coldness, the night's vulnerability and softness gone.

After two weeks had passed without a request for a meeting, she had succumbed to her desires and had sent him a letter; but he had replied with a snippy sentence saying that he had a lot of homework. It was then that Hermione realized that Draco had been avoiding her. No wonder he never looked at her in class or in the corridors or even taunt her.

This troubled her, oddly enough.

She never thought that the absence of Draco Malfoy from her life would make her so … _unstable_.

She sighed and walked through the lush green grounds of Hogwarts, reaching the black lake. It's water was dull under the darkness of the gray clouds - the cold wind lashing at Hermione's face with a thousand blades. She shivered, troubling her mind with Malfoy as she walked towards a small willow tree just on the edge of the lake.

She settled beneath it, lounging under the shady tree and looking across the dull water. There was no sparkle, no glitter. It was dull, like her life had become ever since Malfoy left, taking all the sauce and the spice -

"Granger?"

She jumped at the cold voice, looking up only to see him towering above her and piercing her with his gray eyes. "You're sitting in my spot."

"_Your_ spot?" she chuckled coldly.

"Don't make me fight you for it," he sneered, "You know very well I'm more capable at dueling."

"Oh, get off your high horse, Malfoy," she growled, turning her face away from him.

She suddenly felt him bent down, grab her wrist and pull her up, pushing her away so that his spot was now free. Hermione shrieked in anger, shoving him away to free her wrist. In her anger, she pulled out her wand and bellowed, "EXPELLIARMUS!"

Draco was thrown off his balance due to the blast of the spell. He was lying on the ground, at Hermione's feet, gasping at the sudden impact. "Good _God_, Granger. If that bloody spot means that much to you, you can take it."

Hermione was panting as she lowered her wand, "Why have you been ignoring me?"

Draco looked up at her with a blank stare.

"Answer me, God dammit!" she yelled.

He stood up, brushing off the dirt from his pants and saying, "I'm ending the deal."

"_What_?" she gasped.

"I release you of the pact," he said, with that evil twist of a smile.

"You can't be serious," she said, watching his expression. It did not have any hint of humor in it, "Malfoy, it's as much my decision as it is yours! You said so in the rules!"

Draco chuckled. Hermione frowned as she watched him laugh quietly, darkly, _coldly_. His gray eyes were silver ice as he leaned forward and whispered in Hermione's ear, making a shiver run down her spine, "I was never really that good at following rules any way."

* * *

Again, I know this is short but it's all I can manage with this stupid debate camp going on! You see, I have to coach a total of ten people and they're all PATHETIC at debates!

Well anyway, I hope you all liked it and don't worry! Draco will soon realize his mistake ;)

I hope this chapter had a little more action. I like action. And drama. Oooh, I'm a drama addict. You'll know if you've read WTSGB.

Now, lovelies, lots of reviews means a fast update! So review, please! :D

OH MY GOD! I WANT BANANA CREAM PIE!

- Sherry


	7. I Don't

**I DON'T**

It doesn't hurt me.  
You wanna feel how it feels?  
You wanna know, know that it doesn't hurt me?  
You wanna hear about the deal I'm making?  
- Placebo

"Hermione, I've had _enough_!"

Hermione's eyes snapped up to meet Harry's, which were bright with the concern of a friend. He was standing in front of her, one of his hands ruffling the back of his head in nervous confusion. "Had enough of what?" she asked, puzzled.

Harry sighed and sat down on the coffee table in front of her, "I miss you, Hermione."

She raised an eyebrow, "But I've been around you -"

"But you haven't been yourself," Harry groaned, taking her hands into his own, "Where's my best friend?"

Hermione's eyes turned cold as she got up and said, "I know that you aren't blind Harry so feel very stupid when I say that it was your best friend you were talking to a couple of seconds ago."

"See!" Harry said, standing up and in his haste, almost knocking over the coffee table, "You've become so bloody _cold_, Hermione!"

"Oh come on, Harry."

"It's true! It's like - like - Like there's no difference between you and Malfoy anymore!"

Hearing this, Hermione dropped the book she was carrying. She slowly turned around to face her best friend, who's chest was rising and falling, his face twisted with concern, frustration, confusion and anger. He continued, "Even Ron says so."

At the mention of Ron, Hermione turned bitter again, "Don't talk to me about him."

"Hermione, he made a _mistake_!"

"Oh please," Hermione scoffed, "He knew very well what he was doing. Had I had double D's and a slutty attitude, I would have bagged Ron _months_ ago. But some of us have some self respect, Harry." Hermione's voice became quieter towards the end as she realized what a hypocrite she was being by saying that.

Harry sighed, his emerald green eyes sad. He walked forward to where she had been standing and bent down, so that he was at the same eye level, "Look." He took a deep breath, as if preparing for a speech, "I know that Ron made a horrible choice, Hermione. Trust me, I know - it's me who has to endure her at dinner, isn't it? But don't block _me_ out for Ron's mistakes. I don't want to lose a best friend for something I haven't even done."

Hermione stared at him.

"Please," he said again.

Hermione sighed, the cold brown eyes cracking like ice and melting to become warm, "Alright."

Harry crushed her into a hug, fixing his arms around her so tight she could barely breathe. Hermione wondered when was the last time she had been touched like this; touched with genuine affection. She wanted to cry when she couldn't remember the last time.

o. O. o

After spending some time in the not so great outdoors, Hermione walked back into the castle, dripping from head to toe. The rain outside had not spared a single spot on her body and every part was wet and cold. She was shivering and trembling as she walked towards the Gryffindor tower, leaving behind great mud stains on the newly polished floor.

Suddenly, she heard a great outcry, one definitely belonging to Filch. She looked back on her shoulder and saw all the mud and panicked before she ran with all her might. She could hear Filch running after her but she had an edge, crossing every corner before he could.

She thanked God when she spotted a broom cupboard. Running as fast as she could, she grabbed the handle and threw her body in the darkness, gasping for breath.

"Granger?"

She froze.

There was silence for some time before he let out an angry hiss, "Well, this is just fucking perfect."

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a whisper, looking at his faint out line.

He shrugged, "I tried to bunk detention with Flitwick. Turns out he's smarter than I reckoned. What are _you_ doing here?"

She coughed, still gasping for breath, "Filch."

He nodded, understanding. "Well -"

He let out an outraged sound when Hermione suddenly threw her body against his and clapped a hand to his mouth, preventing him from saying a word. When he protested violently, she pointed at the small light being let out from the bottom of the door; Filch's footsteps were visible there.

When they were gone, Draco threw her hand off and hissed, "Don't you dare do that again, Granger."

Hermione chuckled, "Malfoy, I've done worse things to you. Relax."

Draco froze up, "Another rule; once the pact has been dissolved, we will never mention it again."

"But you see, I'm still in the pact," Hermione smirked, walking forward and lightly tracing his lips with the tip of her finger, "I never finished it. And while I'm in it, you're in it too."

"Granger -"

"I know you want me, Malfoy," Hermione smirked.

"I don't."

Hermione smiled; there was nothing gentle or pleasant about it. It made her look sexy, but in a very evil and twisted way which had Draco growing quite hard down below already. She suddenly unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt, exposing her black bra, "Say that again."

Draco stared at her exposed skin, licking his lips and saying in a dry voice, "I don't."

She smirked again and unbuttoned her shirt completely, throwing it off so that she was standing there, her smooth stomach and gorgeous breasts were exposed. "Say that again, Draco."

As soon as she said his name, the walls that Draco had built to keep him away from her came crumbling down and he grabbed her, slamming her up against the wall so that all the cleaning products around them came crashing to the floor. Hermione all but ripped his clothes from his body, her teeth sinking down onto his neck, only to make him let out a satisfying moan. He pulled her up, wrapping her legs around his waist as to get closer.

Draco bent his head, his tongue darting into her mouth and making a shiver run down her spine. But before she knew it, Draco gasped and pulled himself back, so that Hermione staggered and fell to the floor. He pushed himself up against the wall, his hair disheveled and a disturbed expression on his face.

"I _don't_, Hermione," he said, his voice almost trembling with indecision. He grabbed his shirt and didn't even bother to pull it on before exiting the cupboard, leaving Hermione alone, her fingers tracing her lips with their tips, wondering if she had imagined that he had said '_Hermione_' and not 'Granger.'

* * *

Okay, yeah, I know. I suck. This chapter is super short and pathetic as well but I can't help it! BLEH - I decided to post this story at a horrible time. This debate camp will seriously be the death of me. I mean, you try coaching ten people who shake every time they speak. Grrr.

Any way! OH MY GOD! Today, I saw this super hot guy who just looks like Draco! I almost DIED right there and then, he was so hot! I don't know how the hell he had white blonde hair considering that most people in Pakistan have black or brown or golden at the most. Oh well.

So. I think it's really rude that I tell you about my day and then not ask about yours. So how was your day? :)

Well. Any way. I promise some serious Dramione soon, okay? I PROMISE, I PROMISE!

Don't forget to leave a review, lovelies! I'm so glad you like this story! :)

Now **REVIEW**. :)


	8. Collide

**COLLIDE**

Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the stars refuse to shine  
Out of the doubt that fills my mind  
I somehow find that you and I collide  
- Howie Day

Hermione had _tried_.

Really, she had. But Draco Malfoy's resistance just happened to be rock solid; she had done everything in her power to lure him into bed with her and therefore back in the pact. But he seemed to have his mind set on not getting back into that trap.

So Hermione had given up. She had gone back to being the boring old bookworm while he had gone back to being the cold Slytherin bastard. After a month, Hermione's need had reached a breaking point but she didn't dare ask him for anything. Her ego wouldn't allow it.

"Hermione?"

She looked up. She had been sitting peacefully on the window sill of the gryffindor common room, her legs pulled up and a nice, big book in her lap to distract her. However, God had planned for _other_ things to distract her.

She sighed, "Yes, Ronald?"

The red head nervously stuffed his hands into his pocket, "So I broke up with Brown."

Hermione stared at him for a second, wondering if he was just joking or telling the truth, "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Ron grinned half heartedly, "She asked me to wear a gold necklace saying 'my sweetheart'. I think that pushed me over the edge."

Hermione blinked and then turned back to her book, "Good for you."

Ron groaned, "Oh come on, Hermione."

"What?" she asked, looking up to meet his face again.

"Can't you … forgive me?" Ron asked, sitting at the other end of the window sill and looking at her with big, blue eyes, "Before - before you start off by slapping and yelling at me again, I just want to say that - by asking you to forgive me, I'm not saying … you know, that we should start off with romance. I want you in my life again Hermione. I want to be in your life. In any way which I can be. I miss my best friend. I miss _you_."

"Yeah, Hermione," said Harry, appearing out of no where. "I want us to go back to being _us_ again."

"And I promise I won't be a git this time."

"Oh, and I promise not to eat your cookies, cause I know that makes you mad," Harry grinned sheepishly.

Hermione burst out laughing; something that surprised her. She had not laughed this way in months. It was a sound that only her two best friends could bring and the light hearted feeling in her heart was too good to reject Ron and his request, "Alright."

"Really?" Ron asked, a smile spreading across his face.

"Really," Hermione said, "Assuming that you stick to your promises."

"Oh, dammit!" Harry said. Hermione laughed again, her heart light in her chest unlike the past few months but her need simply growing and growing and growing …

o. O. o

Hogesmeade was gorgeous in November. It took Hermione's breath away as she walked towards a desolate house at the end of a street on Hogesmeade. Surely enough at the front door step, a large, black dog was waiting. His eyes opened at the sound of footsteps and after seeing Hermione, his head shot up and he pushed open the door, going inside. Hermione followed him.

The house was an utter mess apart from the living room which Sirius had bothered to clean up. He was sitting on the couch as a man when she entered, beside a large fire. "Hello, Sirius."

"Hey, Hermione," he said, summoning two butter beers with his wand and throwing one to her, "Take a seat."

She nervously took one. She had received a letter yesterday from Sirius, asking her to meet him without Harry or Ron. It sounded urgent and that had Hermione anxious to know what he wanted to talk about. Sirius sighed, looking severely uncomfortable, "Hermione, what's been bugging you so much that it's got Harry's wand in a knot?"

"What?" Hermione asked, dumbfounded.

"He told me that even after getting okay with Ron again, you're still …" he struggled to find the right word. He shook his head, annoyed, "Just tell me what's bugging you, Hermione."

"Nothing is, Sirius," Hermione said.

"Oh come on, Hermione."

"You know what, Sirius?" Hermione said, standing up, "Last time I checked, you were _Harry's_ Godfather and not mine."

She strode out of the living room and into the dirty hall but Sirius followed, "So I'm not allowed to worry about you?"

"Oh, please, Sirius," Hermione growled as she walked down the pathway, "You hate me and I hate you. Let's keep it that way."

He would have followed but her last words probably stung. She hurried, quickening her footsteps to run away from the desolate house. But surely enough, a minute later, she heard some one following her. She sighed and turned around, "For Christ's sake -"

Her words caught in her throat when she saw Malfoy behind her.

Hermione had always known that Draco was good looking. But she had never believed him to be … _hot_. The cold wind had ruffled his white blonde hair, had made his skin pale and his eyes wide and gray. He was wearing a black coat that seemed to emphasize his pale skin and shape his body in a way that had Hermione staring for a few minutes.

Draco rolled his gray eyes, "Stop ogling me, Granger."

Hermione blushed, even in the cold, "Like you weren't doing the same a couple of minutes ago."

To her astonishment, Draco chuckled. He walked forward and fell into step beside her, "Actually, I prefer you unclothed."

"Then it's a shame you won't be seeing me that way ever again," Hermione snapped.

"Come on, Granger," Draco said, a troubled look on his face, "I thought you would understand why I broke the pact."

"Please enlighten me, Malfoy," Hermione growled, "It's not like we're going to grow up and get married. We were only having fun. Why'd you have to go and finish that?"

Draco sighed and stopped walking. He grabbed hold of Hermione's wrist and suddenly bent down to press his lips against her's; right there, out in the open. Luckily for them, they were still in the desolate street so no one could see them lock lips. It was a gentle kiss, not as fiery and passionate as their previous ones. This shocked Hermione and she froze up, turning her head sideways so that the kiss only lasted for about three seconds.

Draco sighed, his lips just a centimeter away from her cheek, his forehead resting against her temple, "Because, Hermione. Fun always ends; it ends in sadness."

* * *

Okay, you know what? I'm tired of saying I suck so let's just assume I say it in every author note. :P

But seriously I do. But I really didn't have time to write a long chapter because I had school and then I even had eid and it was chaotic in Pakistan! But anyway. I promise a long chapter soon. Soon. Very, very, very soon.

Any way! If anyone is a WTSGB fan, they should check out a one shot by XStarzXAndXMoon called The Sweetest Thing. It is like a companion one shot to When The Stars Go Blue and I must say, it is it amazing. So do check it out.

Soooo. **Review**? :P


	9. Hate To Lust To Love

**HATE TO LUST TO LOVE**

You don't want to hurt me  
But let's see how deep the bullet lies  
Unaware that I'm tearing you asunder  
There's a thunder in our hearts, baby  
So much hate for the one's we love  
Tell me, we both matter, don't we?  
- Placebo

They stayed in the same position for a long time; Draco's forehead pressed up against her temple, his hand still cupping a side of her face. He was so close to her that she could feel his heart beat, could hear him breathing. Hermione almost smiled when she realized that this was the very first time that she and Draco had been so close without doing anything sexual. It felt oddly … calming.

"We should go," Draco said, finally stepping away from her and clearing his throat, "Everyone's gone back to Hogwarts."

"What were you doing on this street anyway?" Hermione asked, plunging her hands into the pockets of her coat and walking beside him.

Draco shrugged, "Father needed me to deliver a letter. Of course, I seem insufficient for even _that_ job these days …"

Hermione's head snapped up to see Draco's face. He looked bitter, his gray eyes looking like silver ice and his face pale enough to look like marble. She frowned, "Oh, _please_. Your father is obsessed with you, Malfoy."

"He just … doesn't approve of my plans," Draco mumbled quietly.

Hermione frowned, "I thought he wanted you to become a death eater."

Draco chuckled darkly, "He does. It's just that I … I'm in no hurry to become one. Don't get me wrong, I support the Dark Lord fully but I want to at least complete my education. Father seems to think that I'm secretly weak, not willing to face that - why the _fuck_ am I telling you this?"

Hermione rolled his eyes, "Please Malfoy. I've shared a bed with you at least fifty times by now. You can share one measly secret."

"This isn't a little secret, Granger," Draco hissed, cocking an eyebrow at her. Hermione actually stopped in her tracks to register how gorgeous the boy looked at the moment; the contrast of his black coat against his cream white skin making him look so deliciously yummy that she had to fight the urge to jump him at that very moment. She wanted to kill herself for pulling away so soon earlier on.

She shrugged, "You know my darkest secret."

Draco nodded, "I guess that makes us even. But you know Granger, I'm dying to know something. And if you tell me, I'll permit you to ask me anything about my life."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "O … kay. What is it?"

Draco ran a hand through his white blonde hair, looking up at the castle of Hogwarts which was still a good distance away, "What exactly did Weasley do to you?"

Hermione sighed and looked away.

"I mean, it's got to be something nasty considering you made that pact with me because of it," Draco said, trying to look at her face.

"That question is out of order, Malfoy," Hermione said,

"Tell me, Granger," Malfoy grinned. But suddenly, the grin was wiped off his face and replaced by a serious expression, "Did he pressure you for - ?"

"No!"

"Then?"

"Malfoy!"

"_Granger_!"

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at that, "Sorry but you're not getting the answer to that."

Draco sighed dramatically, "You know, curiosity killed the cat. Now you wouldn't want me dead, now, would you, Granger?"

Hermione did not have a reply to that. By now, they had reached the school grounds and they both began to walk their own separate ways, to try and avoid being seen together. Before they turned corners and disappeared out of each other's sights, Draco turned around, gave his lopsided smile and then turned away.

Hermione stood rooted at the spot, blinking for two minutes, trying to decipher what that meant.

And also trying to calm down her fluttering heart - something she could not explain.

o. O. o

Hermione was walking slowly on the creaking floor, the light from her wand illuminating the halls of the Shrieking Shack. She always found this place chilling; not only because Remus had spent most of his teenage life her, clawing at himself but also because it was just naturally scary. The rumors of the shack being haunted were still etched in her mind and it was quite difficult to make them go away, even though she now knew the true source of the howling.

"You're late," Sirius said from the darkness. Hermione could make out his silhouette against the window, the light falling onto his now fast becoming - handsome - again face.

Hermione sighed, "Filch caught me."

Sirius chuckled and said, "I thought you said I wasn't allowed to worry about you."

"Well, you're not," Hermione said, "I just have a question to ask you."

"And what may that be?" Sirius asked, taking a swig from a bottle of fire whiskey.

She frowned, trying to find words to phrase her question in a way that would have him not asking questions. In the end, she could not think of any and simply asked, "Have you ever … liked someone who you always used to hate? Like you used to drum it into your mind every day that she's nothing special and she's a hateful girl and not worth my time but soon your find yourself thinking about her? Has that ever happened to you -?"

"Oh, no," Sirius said, standing up with an alarmed expression on his face, "I'm not talking about girls with you, okay?"

"Oh, come on, Sirius, I'm desperate."

"I don't care!"

"We're you some sort of playboy at Hogwarts?"

"Who in the name of Merlin told you that?"

"Mate, I kind of saw your room."

"Oh," Sirius frowned, taking another sip of his drink. He sighed deeply, set aside the glass and said, "Hermione, you're asking me to relive a past that I've kept locked up for more than eighteen years."

"Sirius, you know how hard it is for me to ask you of a favor - _especially_ to ask you for advice," Sirius chuckled, "But please - I need to know how to go about this."

The good looking man sighed and walked over to the window, so that his back was to Hermione. She could see his silhouette and his outline, but the details of his body were all hidden, "The only girl I ever loved, I hated for four years."

Hermione was taken aback, "Who?"

From the little light, falling onto his face, she saw Sirius give a sad smile, "Doesn't matter. She's gone now."

"So you believe that it can happen?"

"Of course it can!" Sirius said, turning around to face the young confused girl, "What people don't understand is that hate is just another form of like with the opposite sex. Hate is a passionate emotion - it always leads to lust. And trust me, lust leads to love."

Hermione gulped.

Draco and her had covered hate and lust. She shuddered to think what was coming next.

* * *

I tried my UTTER best to make it long! I really did! But there's not much you can do after coming home from a mind degrading debate session. Seriously. Who the hell will support military rule over democracy? Sheesh!

Anywayyy! I give you chapter nine with my love!

Now love me back and **REVIEW** :)


	10. I'll Just Hurt You

**I'll Just Hurt You**

My life, you electrify my life. Let's conspire to reunite  
All the souls that would die just to feel alive  
- Muse

"Hate leads to lust. And lust always leads to love."

Sirius' words continued to ring in Hermione's head. She hated just how wise he sounded when the words were uttered from his lips; perhaps because he knew completely what it was like to get strange feelings about people you hate? Hermione wondered who this mystery girl of Sirius' was. They way he spoke about her, it was like he was a man talking about how devoted he was to his religion.

She had never even though about that side to Sirius. He had always been Harry's reckless Godfather, a convicted mass murderer. Never a good looking man who once upon a time, fell blindly in love with a girl who's name was even unknown to Harry or her.

She sighed and shook her head, tracing the books on the shelf of the library with her finger. She loved the smell of the library; of old and new books. People found her quite odd when she said this - but then again, who ever really though that Hermione Granger was normal? Even Draco used to comment on her abnormal personality.

Again with Draco.

It wasn't until she was scolding herself that she realized that Hermione had started calling him 'Draco' instead of 'Malfoy.' Was she overreacting by thinking that it cemented Sirius' theory of hate to lust to love? After all, in Hogwarts, even people she was friends with would get called by their last name. The first name was always reserved for friends and well …

Lovers.

Hermione shuddered and continued walking through the library randomly. For her, this was a great place to think; among books written by extraordinary wizards and witches and some muggles even. She had now gone quite far away from the exit, at the few shelves placed at the back of the library. That part was abandoned, a thin film of dust covering all the books.

So you can understand why she didn't expect Draco to be sitting on the floor, with his back against a book shelf, reading with a firm look of concentration on his face. Again, his good looks hit her with a slam but she preferred not to dwell on that.

She was going to turn around and go back but his voice came, "I know you're there, Granger."

She turned around, smiling sheepishly, "You were the last person I expected to see here. I didn't even know you could read?"

He snapped his book shut, looking up at her, "And before the pact, I didn't even know you could kiss."

She raised her eyebrow, "Did I surpass your expectations?"

"By quite a mile," Draco smirked, looking back at his book.

Hermione peered at it, her jaw falling and her eyes popping when she read the title, "Great Expectations? _Charles Dickens_?"

Draco immediately tried to hide the book, "What?"

"You're reading a muggle novel?" Hermione asked, walking forward and facing him.

He sighed, "I know. I'm so embarrassed of this but this Dickens guy is just … _so_ good."

Hermione pressed her back to the book shelf and then slid down to the floor, her eyes still wide and a small smile playing at her parted lips, "You continue to surprise me, Malfoy."

"Oh, shut up, Granger," Draco actually chuckled, grabbing a book from a nearby shelf and throwing it at her.

She caught it. "Oh," she said when she read the title, smirking, "Interestingly enough, you grabbed my favorite muggle classic. Wuthering Heights."

"Show," he commanded, holding out his hand for it. She threw it to him and he caught it easily with his seeker reflexes. He gazed at the cover and then turned it over to read the short summary. He nodded once and stuffed it into the bag thrown on the floor, beside him, "I'll give it a read."

"You must," Hermione said, "It's … simply beautiful."

"I shudder to think what would happen if my father found out about my liking for old, muggle classics," Draco chuckled, "You know, I think I'm going through a rather rebellious stage; not joining the Death Eaters, developing a fondness for muggle literature, going _completely_ against my family's wishes -"

"What you're doing, Draco, is opening your eyes to the world and letting go of your narrow mind," Hermione said, a small bubble of hope popping in her brain and tainting all her views. What if Draco chose to become good again and fought against the dark side? What if that happened? Would Hermione consider the option of a future with him …?

She mentally shook her head and wondered what was going wrong with her.

"Oh, no," Draco said, shaking his head, "I still think the Dark Lord's goals should be followed."

Hermione sighed deeply, running a hand through her bushy hair, "Let's not talk about this because I don't fancy a fight right now."

Draco raised his eyebrow, smirking, "Granger doesn't want to fight with me? Well, that's certainly a first."

Hermione smiled, "Wouldn't be horrible to have one day of peace."

"I'm not the best person to come looking for if you want peace, Granger," Draco burst out laughing and Hermione was startled by the sight. She had seen Mafloy laugh before but always in a very mocking manner; he had always been jeering someone, making fun of them. Now he was laughing at something she had said, and the sound was innocent and naive.

"True," Hermione said, "But you're not the worst, either."

He gave one nod and then started fiddling with his wand, staring at it. "Granger, I don't get you."

"What?"

"I don't get you at all."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean … why are you here?"

She looked dumbfounded, baffled that he was asking such a question. He sighed and attempted to explain, "Let's face it, you and I can't stand each other. You're best friends with Harry Potter and you've got some sort of weird history with Weasley. I've got … well, _had_ Pansy and my best friends are Crabbe and Goyle. We're like black and white -" he sighed, "So why are you here?"

Hermione stared at him, "Are you serious?"

"What, do you think I'm joking?"

"Malfoy, I've had you physically inside my body around fifty times. That's _bound_ to lessen my hate for you."

He stared at her, his gray eyes inquisitive, "Did it?"

Hermione sighed, falling back against the bookshelf and staring up at the ceiling, "Malfoy, why do you think I'm here?" She took a deep breath and said, "I'm a girl. I tend to get emotionally attached to people, especially the ones I share a bed with. So the question is, why are _you_ here?"

Draco chuckled, his lips curving into that lopsided smile. But unlike all other times, that small curve was not dark. It was warm, "Like I said, Granger." He leaned forward so that he was only a few inches away from her face, "You surpassed all my expectations."

And then he was kissing her.

It was so soft and so gentle that for the first two seconds, Hermione was frozen. Then she melted like ice and began to move her lips with his. They moved together at a slow pace and in a way, it was like their very first kiss. Or, well - their very first kiss with emotions, you could say.

He moved his hand up to her face, throwing back her bushy hair and then holding the nape of her neck, tilting her face up so he could kiss her better. She obliged, her hands tracing the side of his face eagerly. If anyone had seen them from far away, they would not doubt the fact that they were a couple who truly cared for one another. But that was the view of people who didn't know how they were. Like Draco said, they were black and white - not mixable.

"Mmm," Draco protested, pulling away from her. He had a pained look on his face, "God, I have to stop doing that."

"Why?" Hermione asked breathlessly, not bothering to hide her desire.

"Because," Draco whispered, " … I'm just going to end up hurting you."

* * *

Guysss! I have good news! Wait - two good news! :D

Well, first of all, the chapters will soon get long because the debating thing is ending in two weeks! WOOHOO! Until then, please bear with me and the shortness of my pathetic excuses for chapters :P

And second, I can NOT believe this happened but my story - yes, THIS story - has been nominated for an award for Best story with dark elements! Whoever nominated me, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! WTSGB also got nominated for best romance and Iris Hewson for best OC. :') I am crying tears of joy. :D Oh, and the website is thesweetquillawards[dot]webs[com]. When the polls are put up, please vote for me :D

Oh and by the way, I was reading your awesome reviews and I noticed that a lot of you people are interested in Sirius' life. Do you want me to write a conversation in which details of that are revealed or should I just continue to focus on the awesome couple this story is about?

And just to clarify, Sirius is NOT there for romantic reasons.

Please **review**. Only 15 for the last chapter? :'( I work hard to update every other day. Thank me with a review? No? NO? You suck. Yes? You rock my world. :D


	11. When We Bleed We Bleed The Same

**WHEN WE BLEED, WE BLEED THE SAME**

Life will flash before my eyes  
So scattered and lost  
I want to touch the other side  
And no one thinks they are to blame  
Why can't we see  
That when we bleed we bleed the same  
- Muse

When things had started to look up again, they just had to come down, didn't they? After all, that was how Hermione Granger's life rolled. She could never have the best of things; there was always supposed to be at least one factor pulling her down and keeping her from having a perfectly normal and happy life.

After those words, after that _kiss_, Draco had all but bolted from that library. He had run so fast that she had no time to register his absence. She simply sat there, her fingers lingering on her lips until the librarian came and told her to get out because the library was closing.

It had been quite a while since she had had an encounter with Draco. She always saw him in the halls, passed him in the corridors, sat in the same classes; but they had always been surrounded by people and of course, in their eyes they were enemies.

But the question was … _were_ they?

Hermione pondered over the answer as she pulled on her black coat, ready to go explore a wintery Hogesmeade with Ron and Harry. She was glad that her issues with Ron had reached a low point now, and they were barely issues anymore. The three of them had gone back to being … well, the three of _them_.

She pulled her bushy hair into a bun, a couple of loose strands falling on to her face. The Gryffindor scarf was around her neck as she trudged down the stairs, to meet them in the common room.

"You look great, Hermione," Ron commented, as usual; trying to cement his position in her good books.

She beamed and then linked her arms with both of theirs, "I'm only coming if you guys stop by at the bookstore with me."

Both of them groaned. "Hermione!"

"Oh come on," she groaned, "I've been so bored lately. I've read everything in the library."

Harry chuckled, "You're a bit weird, Hermione."

"A bit?" Ron asked, chuckling.

"Oh, shut up," Hermione laughed.

They went on bickering the entire way to the halls, where all the students were gathered around to go to Hogesmeade. Her eyes scanned the room, and she finally found Draco leaning against the walls. His hair had grown longer now, and they were falling quite elegantly across his face. He was tall and lean, in his usual black attire and he looked quite dashing, especially since Crabbe and Goyle were surrounding him.

Hermione saw red when she saw someone bounce up to him and link her arms with his.

It was Pansy Parkinson, dressed much better than Hermione could ever look. She felt ready to burst when Draco shot a quick and brief smile at her, before going back to talking to Goyle.

Hermione looked away before her staring could become to blatant. Along with Harry and Ron, she exited the hall and stepped out into the winter wonderland that was initially Hogesmeade. Due to the coming of Christmas, there were colorful lights hung in every direction, people shouting merrily in the streets and banners being flashed at them. Hermione had forgotten her previous jealousy and was having a blast with her two best friends. As promised, she got to go to her book shop and bought sixteen books as a Christmas present to herself. Ron had even kindly enough, offered to hold them for her.

They laughed, chatted and went to the Three Broomsticks for a quick drink of Butterbeer. The bar was, as usual, crammed with guests and they had to wait for ten minutes to get themselves a table. Malfoy was sitting with his friends a couple of tables away, and Hermione caught his eye; they looked at each other for a mere span of two seconds, before Hermione looked away, trying not to think of him. Harry went to the bar to get them three drinks, leaving Ron and Hermione alone together.

"Enjoying yourself?" Ron asked, smiling.

Hermione nodded, "More than I expected."

"How could you not, when I'm around?" He asked jokingly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "How very modest, Ronald."

"Don't call me that, you know I hate it."

"Now I'll always call you that."

"You're cruel."

"I know."

"Fine, I'm calling you Hermy."

"_Hermy_?"

"Yes, Hermy."

Hermione burst out laughing, "Couldn't you come up with anything more creative?"

"Oh, _please_, like Ronald was the best of your imagination," Ron chuckled.

"Touche," Hermione chuckled. Harry made his way through the crowd and came to sit at the table, passing them all their drinks. They were talking merrily, lifted by the Christmas spirit, enjoying their drinks.

Hermione should have known, that such a perfect day could not last.

She had only been reaching across the table for a napkin when an explosion sounded through the bar. And before she knew it, she was thrown forward and straight to a wall by the impact of the blast. Her head throbbed and the warmth trickling down her face indicated blood. Her left arm and right leg were both aching with a sharp pain and the only thing she could do when she finally felt all of these injuries and agony, was yell.

"HERMIONE!"

"GRANGER!"

Hermione wondered if she had imagined Draco's voice yelling for her. She probably had, since he didn't really care that much of her. She felt hands on her suddenly, grabbing her. She couldn't see anything for all was a blur, but she could hear; she heard screams, she heard chants about the Dark Lord, and she heard Ron sobbing and Harry yelling.

Then darkness engulfed her and that same sense of being squeezed; she realized that she was disapparating with Ron, still holding her in his arms. "MADAM POMFREY!" she heard Harry yell, so loudly that she winced. Ron took that as a sign of her in pain.

"Hermione, you're at the hospital ward! Hermione, don't die, please don't die!"

Hermione was confused; were her injuries really _that_ bad?

"Oh my Lord," she heard Madam Pomfrey gasp.

Hermione did not have any time to ponder anymore. Her brain was exhausted, every cell in her body in agony. She wanted to blank out, to not feel, hear or see anything; not Ron's sobs, not Harry's yelling, not Madam Pomfrey's gasps and not even Draco's cries.

o. O. o

When Hermione started coming round, she couldn't open her eyes. They were aching, and she felt like it would take her all the energy she had to open them up. She sighed and gave up, letting her head loll to the side; ready to fall asleep again.

"Ron, stop it. She's going to be fine."

"How do you know, Harry?" Ron wept.

"Ron, shut up and go get healed. I'll watch her."

"I was such a fucking arse to her."

"Ron -"

"And now, she could die."

"Can you shut it, mate?"

"HARRY! FOR GOD'S SAKE -"

"What happened to her?" Hermione's heart took a double take when she realized that it had been Draco's icy voiced that interrupted Harry and Ron's argument. She heard a screech of wood and a pair of feet getting to the floor.

"Why do you care, Malfoy?" Ron snarled, "Your people - Your precious Death Eaters - did this to her!"

"Oh, get off your high horse, Weasley," Malfoy snapped, "What the fuck happened to her?"

"Why are you so interested Malfoy?" Harry said, an edge of anger and annoyance in his voice.

"Being nice is too irritating," Malfoy said, his voice calm and collected, "I'll leave you two with your dying friend, okay?"

"Yes, please do that," Harry snapped, "AND SHE'S NOT BLOODY DYING!"

* * *

Drama drama drama. God, I love drama.

I know, I can't believe it either. I mean, I NEVER thought this story would be successful cause I didn't think that people out there really liked dark and twisted stories like I do. :P Like, if it was up to me, this story would be so up to the brim with darkness that no one would want to read it. But don't worry, I control myself :D

Hmmm. I'm guessing I left you with a cliffy? So if you want to find out what happens next, **REVIEW**. :)


	12. Ten Dying Wishes

**TEN DYING WISHES**

Although there is now hope  
Embers of sadness still glow  
Something hasn't quite flown  
But I know, you're there to catch me now  
All eternal things, the moon, the sea, the turning leaves  
Speak to something within  
And you, ease the longing too  
My reason, my sunlight, my lifeline.  
- Trembling Blue Stars

Hermione wasn't exactly sure for exactly how long she had been sleeping. But it was true that every time her eyes would flutter open, they would only do so to droop again. It was happening right now; but unlike all the other times, she had not been woken by a shouting match conducted by Ron and Harry, but by someone softly stroking her hair, as if it was the most delicate porcelain they had ever touched. The rough fingers lingered on her scalp for a moment, only to pull back and trace her hair, circling and massaging her throbbing head.

She wanted to see who exactly was giving her such pleasure. With all the energy she could summon, she looked up, only to look straight into a pair of silver ice eyes. They were cold, and slowly melting; literally because there seemed to be tears in those beautiful eyes.

And with a jolt, she realized that it was Draco who was sitting beside her, in the dead of night, stroking her hair even though she was asleep.

"Dr … Draco?" she whispered, her voice weak and demanding a cold glass of water.

He looked alarmed because she had woken up, and had found him tearing up beside her lifeless body. He turned away to pour her a glass of water from the water jug but he only did so to avoid having her see his tears.

After her thirst had been quenched, she whispered, "How long have I been out?"

"Three days," he answered, "Everyone thinks you're dying."

"Including you?" she asked, her voice raspy.

Draco gave one nod, a small nod of his head but even that seemed to break him. His shoulders began to crumble and shake as he turned his body away from her's, to the wall, resting his forehead against the stone. Hermione was horrified to actually see him crying, crying over the thought of her death. But maybe it wasn't really a thought, maybe she _was_ dying.

"Malfoy," she whispered his name, "Malfoy, come here."

Her did not respond; he only hit a side table with his foot, kicking it until all it's contents fell to the floor with a large clang.

"Malfoy," she whispered again.

"Don't fucking do this to me," he took a shuddering gasp of air.

Hermione let out a groan of annoyance the same time she said his name, 'Draco'. Even though she said it, she knew exactly what she sounded like. Her voice was actually dripping with a need; a need to have him inside her for the very last time.

"You're too weak, Hermione," he wept, finally coming to face her. His face was pale, the shadows on his face like the craters on a moon. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, his cheeks were hollow and all in all, he didn't look good.

"I don't care," she wept, "For once in my life, even though it's the end of it, I want to do something I truly want to do."

"Hermione -"

"Draco, you can't deny a girl her dying wish."

"Don't fucking say that!"

"But it's true."

"You're going to survive this, do you hear me?"

"What exactly happened?"

Draco rubbed the back of his neck, his face exhausted, "Your pals refuse to tell me what's wrong but by what I've gathered, I think you were hit by a degradory curse. You're going to get worse and worse until your body can't cope."

"Oh," Hermione breathed.

"Don't worry," Draco said, cupping her face, "Dumbledore's practicing a charm to perform on you. There's a good chance it'll go away."

Hermione gave a small, sad smile, "It's me, Draco. Good luck tends to avoid me."

"But it doesn't avoid me," Draco whispered, stroking the side of her smooth face, "And I'll use it to get you better again."

"When did you start liking me so much?" she asked, with a sad, weak smile that had Draco's heart breaking to pieces.

"Guess the sex got to me," he whispered, looking so intently at her that a shiver crept up her spine.

She stared at him for a long time and he stared back, their eyes locked. She could feel the demand bubbling up to her lips before she could stop it, "Lie down with me."

"What?"

"Just lie down."

He cautiously and carefully settled his body on the bed, next to her. She threw her arm over his chest, and hitched her leg across his waist. She didn't want to care about playing hard to get or even about her pride or ego; what good would it do? It was better to enjoy her last days like this, than to worry about -

"You're not dying," he said, as if he could read her mind.

"What if I am?"

"But you're not."

"But what if I AM, Draco? What if I only have a couple of months left?"

Draco sighed and fortunately, instead of simply denying it like most boys would have, he ran a hand through her bushy hair and whispered, "Then I'll do everything I can in my power to make these last few months memorable."

"Really?"

"Really. I'll grant you ten dying wishes. Anything you want, you name it and you have it."

"Draco, that is …"

"Sweet? Courteous? Lovely? Amazing?"

"Actually, yes," Hermione chuckled, snuggling up closer and smelling the scent of him which always had her intoxicated.

He suddenly shifted closer and whispered in her ear, "But you're not dying."

"I still want my ten wishes," Hermione said weakly, about to doze off again.

Draco kissed her temple, rubbing her shoulder to keep her warm, "Don't worry." He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose, "You'll get them."

o. O. o

"My God," Sirius chuckled, looking at Hermione in her hospital bed, "People get killing curses and cool stuff like that. You got a degradory curse? Now, that's just disappointing."

She threw a pillow at his head, but laughed all the same, "Hello, Sirius."

The Hospital ward was empty, apart from Hermione and Madam Pomfrey had locked the doors so that Sirius and Hermione could have a conversation. Being a member of the Order, she was aware of his innocence. Plus, Sirius' charm never failed to work on women who knew what he used to look like before Azkaban.

"And you called me over, because …?" Sirius asked, trailing off.

Hermione ran a hand through her hair, "You should know that had I anyone else to talk to, I would. I really would. But you went through a similar situation as mine, and I just want advice from a person who knows how to deal with -"

"Falling in love with a person you hate?" Sirius cocked an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't say love," Hermione said thoughtfully, "How about an obsessive liking for the person?"

Sirius chuckled, "Sweetheart, that's simply another word for love. Any way, tell me about this situation of yours."

Hermione sighed, "First, I want to hear about your's."

"Mine?" Sirius frowned.

"In 1977," Hermione said, "The only girl you ever loved, you hated for four years?"

"Oh, God, Hermione, I'm not telling you that," Sirius groaned.

"I'm DESPERATE, Sirius!" Hermione said, grabbing onto his hand as he made to get off the bed.

"_You want to have a conversation about my love life_?"

"Odd as it may sound, yes!"

"I'll need a fire whiskey to help me get through this one -"

"SIRIUS!"

"Okay, fine!" He grumbled, throwing his hands in the air in defeat. Hermione grinned victoriously as Sirius settled back down on to the bed, leaning backwards so that he was only propped up by his elbows. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "There was this Irish girl in my batch; very sexy, very smart, _too_ smart actually and too witty at times. Quite scary as well. In my second year, during a detention, I accidentally - I swear, I'm not lying - I _accidentally_ kissed her. And what do I get in return? A full blown, punch right in my eye, making it purple for three weeks."

Hermione burst out laughing.

"It's sad," Sirius sighed, "My first ever fight injury came from a girl. Any way, obviously hatred developed in me after that incident. And as I grew, the hatred grew. And as she grew … she just became even prettier. Boys in my age, _died_ for her. But my severe dislike for her never really allowed me to see her in that way.

"And then one fine day," Sirius said, picking up that fairy tale tone, "After giving my Defense Against The Dark Arts OWL, I was sitting outside by the black lake, and I saw her studying, right under the sun. And she was _the_ most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"And being the idiot that I was, my hatred converted to lust and I found myself hosting a want for her that was almost as bad as James' yearning for Lily," Sirius chuckled, a far away look in his eyes, "But after lots of chasing, lots of pick up lines and lots of heart break and pain and even death, she became mine."

Hermione sat there, wide eyed, "And then?"

Sirius exhaled a long breath, "And then Iris died."

Hermione's eyes widened until they were about to pop, "How?"

Sirius shrugged, "Death Eaters."

"Sirius, that's horrible."

"It is," he said, "Now, tell me what's troubling you."

So Hermione sighed, and began to tell Sirius everything. She conveniently left the name out, not daring to tell him that it was Draco Malfoy who had captured her heart; not bothering to tell him that the object of her affections belonged to the people that had killed the love of his life.

* * *

Okay, that was a little longer than the other chapters, yes? :D

So if anyone wants to read the actual story of Iris and Sirius, check out When The Stars Go Blue. Let me warn you though, the first chapters are quite poorly written and I would be totally disgusted with them had I been the reader. But you see, I wrote that story when I was discovering my passion for writing, so please don't judge the story on that. The story, the writing, the plot really does get better. :)

Oh, and if you love drama like me, WTSGB is for you.

Any way, I would like to clarify that Draco and Hermione are in their sixth year. I'm liking how this story is getting along, even if I do say so myself. :P

Don't forget to **REVIEW** :)


	13. Normal

**NORMAL**

There's a drumming noise inside my head  
That stars when you're around  
I swear you could hear it  
It makes such an almighty sound  
There's a drumming noise inside my head  
That throws me to the ground  
It's louder than sirens, louder than bells  
Sweeter than heaven, and hotter than hell  
- Florence and The Machine

A week passed, with visits from Harry and Ron during the day and night spends with Draco in the evening. She couldn't complain though; even though she was getting absolutely no sleep, she was quite happy, getting the best of both worlds. The worlds being Ron _and_ Draco.

She was discharged from the hospital after Dumbledore came and spoke with her, telling her that he was practicing the counter curse to the degradory spell. It was quite a complicated curse, with several movements and incantations involved, continuing for about two minutes. She declared full confidence in Dumbledore and he promised her treatment by New Year Eve. Until then, she was allowed to live a normal life.

Pfft. _Normal_. Sure.

She was sitting on the Gryffindor table, having a 'normal' breakfast with Harry and Ron. She had propped the news paper up against the milk jar, silently having her cereal while Harry and Ron jabbered on and on about Quidditch. Occasionally, she would role her eyes at their conversation. When Harry let out an odd sound of protest, she looked up at him but her attention was diverted as soon as she saw a certain, blonde headed boy staring at her all the way from the Slytherin table.

When he noticed her return his gaze, he gave a quick, lopsided smile before turning back to his eggs. Hermione could not stop smiling for the rest of the day. Even when the trio left for Potions, her smile stretched from ear to ear and when Harry asked her what was the reason behind it, she merely shrugged and said, "It's a nice day."

When, really, it was _pouring_ outside.

They took their seats in Slughorn's classroom, preparing themselves for another lesson of Potter praise. And as predicted, Slughorn started off by praising Harry's 'potion skills' to the heavens; which as always, annoyed Hermione. Slughorn looked up and then stated, "Today you will be making the Draught Of Living Death, since your previous attempt was so pathetic. This time, I will divide you up into pairs according to your skills. One strong link with a weak link, eh? Alright, Harry you go with Weasley. Macmillian, I suppose Zabini will do you good. Ah, Granger why don't you -"

_Please Draco._

" - Pair up with Malfoy here?"

_Yes!_

"Okay, Professor Slughorn," she said, attempting at making her face look disappointed when in reality, her heart was doing back flips in her chest. She walked up to where Draco was sitting, and he wasn't even bothering to hide his smile. But of course, all the people who didn't know him well (which was of course, every one in the room apart from Hermione) would see it as a cross between a smirk and a grimace.

"Get to work! Chop chop! But first, I'll give you half an hour to compose an essay on how exactly we are to brew this potion."

The class groaned but Slughorn chose to avoid this, hurtling towards his desk. Hermione, of course, set to work straight away, her nose only a couple of inches from her parchment and her quill fluttering across the page. She stopped and her trail of concentration was disrupted when a paper ball hit her.

She unfolded it, throwing a glance at Draco.

_I think it's time you made that first wish, don't you?_

She smiled, smoothing the torn piece of parchment and writing:

_I suppose so._

_Well, what do you want for your first wish, your highness?_

Hermione rolled her eyes, and thought about it while she silently chewed at the end of her quill. She knew it was a disgusting habit but it always made her think better. Moments later, Draco threw another ball at her which she unfolded to read:

_You have no idea what I want to do to you right now._

Her eyes widened. And on it's own accord, her hand flew into the air. Professor Slughorn smiled at the student and asked, "Yes, dear?"

"Professor, I'm not feeling well. Can I please go to the hospital ward?"

Upon seeing her rather pale expression, he nodded and said, "Very well, Miss Granger. Off you go. Malfoy, why don't you escort her up to the ward?"

Malfoy pretended to look disgusted and Hermione even heard Ron grumble to Harry. The two students walked out of the classroom and as soon as they were out of ear shot, Draco burst out laughing, "That was amazing!"

"You kind of got me out of the mood of studying with that last note," she said, grabbing his tie and pulling him towards an empty broom's closet. Draco smirked as he closed the door behind them. She was disappointed with the lack of _real_ action, but the good make out session made up for it. His kisses were blinding, so passionate that they often left her breathless. He had pulled her up onto one of the tables, her legs wrapped around his waist while his hands groped her arse.

"So," he asked, his voice husky as he leaned his forehead against her's, "What's your first wish, your excellency?"

Hermione smiled, "Let's bunk the entire day. Think you can do that?"

Malfoy burst out laughing, "Sweetheart, I've been doing that ever since we were allowed to go to Hogesmeade."

"So you know about a secret passage?"

"Knowledge of a prefect father who was told to guard it in his years."

"Oh." That was nowhere near as exciting as the Marauder's map.

"So that's your wish? A full day bunk?" he asked, smiling.

"Of course not," Hermione said, leaning in closer, "You're going to take me dancing."

* * *

Next chapter ... steeeeeeammmyyyy.

Heheheheh. I know you want more so please stay tuned and review! Very poor response for the last chapter :( Any way, I'm sorry that this chapter is short. You see, tomorrow's the debating tournament I've been preparing for, so I kinda have to research and well ... debate. :P

I promise, the next chapter will be a long, nice, steamy one! :)

ANYWAYS. Guys, the polls are up! Please vote for Undisclosed Desires for Best Story With Dark Elements: The link is thesweetquill [dot] webs [dot] com. The link is also on my profile. Oh and also vote for When The Stars Go Blue for Best Romance Story and Iris Hewson for Best OC. THANKS! LOVE YOU _AWWWLLL_!

Cookies and Draco Malfoys to all those who vote for me! :D

Now go **REVIEW** and **VOTE**. :)


	14. Take Me Away

**TAKE ME AWAY**

This time what I want is you  
There is no one else  
Who can take your place  
This time you burn me with your eyes  
You see past all the lies  
You take it all away  
I've seen it all  
And it's never enough  
It keeps leaving me needing you  
- Lifehouse

"Granger, I'm serious, I don't dance," Draco said gravely as Hermione cast a spell around them, making them invisible. They began to walk towards one of the passages, with Hermione chortling with the laughter and Draco cracking his knuckles, a frown set on his crowded forehead.

"I've never seen you so nervous," she declared.

"I'm not a very nervous person," Draco said, "But seriously? _Dancing_? _That's_ your wish? For christ's sake, Hermione! I give you the opportunity of asking me for god damn anything and you ask for _dancing_? I'm not even sure if I should agree to this!"

"Correction," Hermione smiled, "My wish was a full day bunk and we do anything I want us to do."

Draco rolled his eyes, "Hang on." He silently swished his wand, having mastered non verbal spells, "It all better be worth my money."

"Oh, don't worry," Hermione chuckled, "It will."

"So what's first on your list, your excellency?" Draco asked, cocking his eyebrow, grabbing a very fancy but growling wallet in his hand which he had summoned.

Hermione bit her lip, smiling at the same time. She saw Draco's expression change a bit; going from mocking to become rather softer. He even smiled for a split second at her, as she moved her shoulders from side to side, saying, "I always wanted to stay in a room of the Golden Pensieve - "

Draco put a finger to her lips and smiled crookedly, "Consider it done."

The Golden Pensieve was a wizard inn, a hotel rated to be one of the very finest. Hermione knew it was very selfish of her to ask him to spend such money, but when she said this, he protested against it as if she had said something against his master. It was just on the out skirts of Hogesmeade, a fine, golden building over looking the great mountains and Hogwarts.

"The Golden Pensieve has a night club too," Hermione said happily, "So you _have_ to take me dancing."

Draco rolled his eyes, "It's _you_ who's taking _me_ dancing. Had I been the one deciding, I would never even set foot in a night club."

"Oh come on," Hermione chuckled, "Drinks and moving your bodies to beats? What could be better?"

"Sex. Sex is better."

"Yeah, but it's not like we're doing that these days."

A stoney silence fell upon them as the fact that Hermione had been aching to point out slipped from her lips. Draco awkwardly stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black coat, his slytherin scarf around his neck. He cleared his throat and spoke in a low voice, as if he was embarrassed, "Hermione …"

"You don't have to explain."

"Really?"

"Actually, you do." Hermione said as they entered Hogesmeade, cloaked in a blanket of white and covered in twinkling christmas lights.

Draco sighed and ran a hand through his already ruffled hair, "God, aren't you disgusted of me, Granger? I'm part of the reason that you got this degradory curse! I support the dark side and I'm into the dark arts and I praise the dark lord! Why aren't you …"

"Digsuted?" Hermione offered coldly, "Repulsed?"

He nodded.

"Oh, I am," Hermione said carelessly, "You're just way to good for me to care."

Draco raised an eyebrow, a smile spreading across his face, "Way too good, eh?"

"Oh, shut up."

They walked all the way to the Golden Pensieve, laughing, enjoying each other's company. Hermione was grateful for the cold weather, for nobody wanted to step out in it. The streets they walked through were mostly empty, with a few unknown witches and wizards passing them once in a while.

"So," Draco said, "Tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Your deep _dark_ secret."

"What? What are you, _eleven_?"

"Oh come on, curiosity killed the cat," Draco groaned, stamping his feet so some snow went flying. "What happened between you and Weasley?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "What happened between you and Pansy?"

Draco was about to speak but then zipped his lips, "Tocuhe."

They turned the corner, and walked up the path which lead to the grand hotel. It really was a beautiful building, looking like it was made of solid gold. In a village of mostly wooden houses, the hotel seemed quite out of place but that just added to the beauty of it.

"Have you ever stayed here before?" Hermione asked him as they walked up the gold steps, into the grand lobby.

Draco shrugged, "Once."

"Was it fun?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Why the fuck are you so inquisitive?"

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Well I'm not really liking the cat right now."

Hermione giggled and very casually threw her arm around Draco's shoulders. She almost had to stand on her tip toes, but she managed. She pressed a very sloppy kiss to his cheek and said, "Shut up, you love me."

Draco pushed her away, rubbing at his cheek but laughing all the same. It didn't hit Hermione until very late just how comfortable their relationship had become. At first, it was formal; say hello, take off your clothes, get into the bed, have sex and say goodbye. Now it was … casual.

She waited while Draco checked them in and only rushed forward when he beckoned with his head for her to join him. Excited beyond words, Hermione rushed forward and surprisingly, Draco threw his arm over her shoulders, as if he was protecting her.

"Keep your head down," he whispered.

Hermione frowned, "Why?"

"I'll tell you later. Just keep it down."

* * *

Any guesses why? ;)

Sorry guys. I'm caught up in exams. The steamy chapter is the next one. Promise.


	15. I'm Here For You

**I'M HERE FOR YOU**

Just say yes, just say there's nothing holding you back  
It's not a test, nor a trick of the mind  
Only love  
Just say yes, cause I'm aching and I know you are too  
For the touch of your warm skin  
As I breathe you in  
- Snow Patrol

"Draco, what's going on?" Hermione whispered as Draco frantically lead them away from the lobby and to a moving corridor leading to their room.

"Nothing, just - just keep silent," he hissed.

"Malfoy, what is it?"

"It's nothing -"

"DRACO!" a booming voice yelled, not far away from them. Hermione heard Draco groan before turning around in a defeated manner, wincing as he saw his furious father.

"Father," Draco nodded his head curtly.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Lucius Malfoy growled.

Draco shrugged, "Just hanging around."

"I meant what are you doing with - with - _her_?" Lucius hissed.

Draco shrugged one shoulder again, "I'm sure you can guess, father. Now if you'll excuse me."

There was a bang and Draco was lying sprawled on the floor; instantly, Hermione drew out her wand and shot a spell at Lucius Malfoy who soon found his wand arm to be rather limp, not allowing him to cast any spells. Hermione smirked in victory; a victory that was to be short lived.

"Come, Draco!" Lucius hissed angrily, "Come!"

"Come where?" Draco asked, his expression annoyed.

"Now that I know what kind of filth you 'hang out' with at Hogwarts, I'm not sure I want you attending that school at all! Come! We're going back to Malfoy Manor - NOW, DRACO!" Lucius yelled when he saw his son's lips part to protest.

"No."

"I said, COME!" Lucius growled, his lip curling back to reveal a gleaming collection of pearly white teeth.

"This is getting rather ridiculous, father," Draco said.

"It will get even more ridiculous if you continue to argue," Lucius yelled, marching forward to grab his tall son's arm and pull him away. Lucius looked at Hermione and said, "You're lucky this is a public place, Granger, or I would have blasted you to pieces."

Hermione smirked, "That's what you think, Malfoy."

Lucius was about to argue but thought better of it, striding away from her, his hand still gripping Draco's arm. Over his shoulder, Draco mouthed, 'I'll come back.'

Hermione nodded, shoving her fists into the pockets of her coat, a cloud of depression surrounding her; which was odd - about a year ago, having Draco around her would cause the cloud to come but now it was his absence that conjured it.

Hermione moaned when she realized that Sirius' theory was about to be proved correct yet again.

* * *

It was Christmas break; london decorated with sparkling lights and a drape of snow. Her street certainly looked like that. She was sitting on her window sill at home, a mug of coffee in her hand as she watched the snow make its way to the Earth. She hated being back home but these few moments alone stolen from a rather gloomy holiday always seemed to cheer her up.

She took a sip, letting the warm liquid cheer her up. She needed cheering up. Originally, she wanted to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays but her father had refused to hear of it. He demanded that she come home, using the excuse that his mother would have wanted them to remain a family when in reality, he needed her home to vent out some fury.

Hermione winced as the bruises on her body ached at the memory of this morning.

She was rubbing her wrist, where a horrifying purple bruise resided when something hit the wall beside her. Hermione jumped, looking at the wall but deciding that it was probably just her imagination. However, a minute later, another rock came flying and went into her room.

Hermione looked around and finally a voice came from below, "Oh, for God's sake, Granger - I'm down here!"

Hermione actually fell off the window sill in her surprise; slipping off the wood and falling. It didn't really fit the moment but Draco saved it by rushing forward to grab her in the nick of time. But alas, the two could not have a perfect moment and Hermione found them collapsed on the ground, her on top of him

White hot passion seized her, but Draco was laughing beneath her, "Good God Granger. You've put on some weight."

Hermione gasped, "I have not! You've just lost your strength, ass hole!"

Indeed, when Hermione looked at his face properly, she saw dark circles beneath them. His cheek bones were more prominent and his white blonde hair had grown until they were cascading only a few centimeters above his shoulders. All of this had a good effect on him; he was looking more … mature and … dare Hermione say it … handsome.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione whispered as she climbed off him, shivering in the cold.

Draco conjured her coat with a lazy flick of his wand and shrugged, "I fulfill my promises, Granger."

She smiled and he smiled back; sharing a moment with her that was so unique, so different with the emotions that were connecting the two. Hermione was scrutinizing his face and that was when she ruined the moment; by noticing the scar stretching from his ear to his collar bone, right across his neck.

"Draco," she whispered in alarm, stepping forward towards him, "What's that?"

Draco took a step away from her, "Nothing - I just got a bit over excited about -"

"Draco, I'm not stupid. What is that?" she asked again, tracing the dark scar with her finger tips, "This is dark magic."

Draco sighed, "You know what? I came here to get away from everything. But everywhere I go, the same topic just has to fucking catch up with me. I'm done. Bye, Hermione."

Hermione was stunned as she watched him walk away from her, until she yelled, "Draco!"

"WHAT?" he yelled, turning around; for the first time ever, she saw Draco's anger. Of course she had seen it before, but it wasn't true, white, trembling anger like the one she was seeing now. The ice in his eyes was making her shiver; a shiver that had nothing to do with the snow around them.

"Draco … did your father do that?"

Draco blinked, "Hermione, I know my father's a bit stern but he's not an abusive moron like yours."

The sharpness of his voice cut across Hermione like a blade, "Then who …?"

The silence answered Hermione's question.

"Oh, God, Draco …"

"Shut up, Hermione."

He began to walk away and Hermione knew that he was about to disapparate so she ran forward and grabbed hold of his arm in the nick of time. The familiar sensation of being squeezed through a tube was engulfing her; filling her with a sense of victory, knowing that she had succeeded.

Hermione's eyes flashed open and she saw that she was in a dark forest, in a small clearing. Draco freed himself of her grip, yelling, "What the hell, Granger! Go back!"

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, "Then you shouldn't have come unannounced to my house either."

"For fuck's sake, can you leave? I want to be alone right now."

His voice shook at the end of his last sentence; this had Hermione's eyes widening in shock. She hadn't expected him to be in such a vulnerable state. She walked forward and without even bothering to see his reaction, put her arms around him, as if she was holding him together, preventing him from falling apart.

"Granger," Draco groaned, "Let go."

"Shh," Hermione whispered, stroking the back of his neck, "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Draco wept, finally throwing himself over to her and grasping her by the waist, pushing his body against her's so hard, Hermione had to suck in a breath. He buried his face in her shoulder, his body shaking with violent tremors, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do …"

"Shh, Draco," Hermione kissed the top of his head, "It's okay, I'm here. I'm here for you."

Draco suddenly stopped shaking and he looked up, his wet, gray eyes sparkling in the light of the moon, "Are you?"

Hermione shrugged a shoulder, "Would I be here if I wasn't?"

Draco stared at her for a long time, his lips slightly parted; just a centimeter before he rushed in towards her like a hurricane, grabbing her and fusing their lips together. Hermione was screaming in her head with joy as his tongue darted in, giving her pleasure that no one could. In the secluded clearing, Draco pushed her up against the bark of a tall tree, his hands roaming her body as if he was trying to memorize it.

He broke away from her lips, only to start trailing kisses down her neck, slowly unbuttoning her jeans. It was too cold to take off any more clothing and Draco hated that; after finally giving himself over, accepting defeat, he wanted to have a good reward … or well; punishment.

Hermione seemed to read his mind and whispered against his lips, "Wand … give it to me …"

He handed it to her, all the time trailing kisses on her neck and collar bone. He noticed a considerably warm rise in the temperature around them; it was still cold but not too bitter - it was bearable. And once the clothes were off, Draco was sure the action would warm them up.

He threw off her coat while she undid his, both of them getting rid of anything that stood in the way of their bodies feeling each other. And once he entered her; oh, it was _blissful_ oblivion. It was like he had been in pain for a long time, without knowing it and having her had taken it all away.

Hermione was gasping for breath, her back still up against the tree as he pushed in and out of her. She wanted to scream the same time she wanted to moan, wanted him to continue the same time she wanted him to stop. That shivering orgasm was overpowering as it crashed over her, making her yell out his name, making her throw her head back, gasps escaping her lips.

"Draco," she whispered, her voice breathy and husky.

But he did not let her say a word. He simply kissed her forehead and then leaned his own against it, tears in his eyes that were yet to fall, "Thank you."

Hermione stared at him.

"Really …" Draco took a shuddering gasp of air, "Thank you."

* * *

_By not reviewing, you're basically saying that you hate my story and it's not worth a damn. So please review and spread the love! :)_


	16. Brawl

**BRAWL**

If heaven and hell decide  
That they both are satisfied  
Illuminate the 'NO's on their vacancy signs  
If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks  
Then I'll follow you into the dark  
- Death Cab For Cutie

Hermione was sitting in Transfiguration, staring intently at the board and listening to each word that was uttered from McGonagall's lips. Apart from her, all students seemed to be nodding off or looking completely frustrated; after all, Christmas holidays were over and Hermione had to remind herself that going home to family was not the end of the world in their cases. They had loving, kind parents.

Once the session ended, Hermione covered her mouth as a yawn escaped her lips. She stood up, swinging her bag over her shoulder but wincing when it came into contact with the deep cut embedded there. She always forgot about that one.

As Hermione walked out of the room, she heard Ron come up from behind her, "Hermione! Wait up!"

She turned around and shot him a small smile. He grinned back and swooped forward, casually slipping her hand into hers. Hermione looked up at him, frowning and seeing this, Ron quickly dropped her hand. From behind them, Hermione heard a snide laugh. She turned around and heart took a double take.

It was Draco.

_He was in Hogwarts! _

At that moment, she felt like running up to him and throwing her arms around him but she couldn't. Students were surrounding them, some watching, some rushing by. Draco caught her eye for a second before looking away.

"Yes?" Ron asked pointedly.

Draco walked passed him.

"Hey!"

He turned around, "Oh, I'm sorry, are you talking to me? Whoops, then sorry again. I don't talk to _blood traitors_."

"Got a problem, Malfoy?" Ron asked rudely.

Malfoy let out a chuckle, "Yeah, I do. It's called _you_, bitch."

"Ron!" Hermione snapped, throwing an arm across his chest to restrain him from acting stupidly. He was becoming red, his eyes narrowed with anger.

"Oh, come on, Granger, let him get his ass kicked," Draco said, leaning against a wall, "He clearly needs it."

"What?" Ron asked through clenched teeth.

"Of course you need it," Malfoy snapped, "Let's start with the basics - He's a blood traitor. Second - well, I would have said it out loud but unlike you, Weasley, I'm a gentleman and I don't … well, _harass_ ladies physically _or_ verbally."

"Malfoy!" Hermione hissed, while gasps echoed around the hall.

Malfoy rolled his gray eyes, "We all know it's true."

"Okay, that's enough," Harry said sharply, "Malfoy - we all know that you're no innocent angel either so shut it, alright? And Ron - stop struggling and go up to the common room!"

"Since when did you get the authority to boss me around, Potter?" Draco demanded.

Harry ignored him, steering Ron away from the crowd. Draco let out a bark of a laugh and called, "Coward."

The next few minutes happened so fast that Hermione did not have time to react; Ron turned around and charged at Draco like an enraged bull, his face blood red and his body held in a way that screamed anger. The next thing they knew was that the two boys were fighting, fists being aimed at the other.

"STOP IT! RON, DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM!"

Had everyone not been so caught up in the fight, they would have turned to stare at Hermione, wondering why she cared about Draco's well being. But the fight was so intense and so violent, that everyone was surrounding them in a circle, watching with wide eyes.

"Stop it!" Pansy Parkinson screamed, turning to Crabbe and Goyle, "DO SOMETHING!"

"HARRY!" Hermione yelled.

"What? Oh - RON!"

"Harry, do something!"

"I'm trying!" Harry cried, jumping in to pull Ron away from Draco.

They were finally torn apart from each other, with Ron's nose bleeding and Draco's knuckles red and bruised. Ron looked murderous, but Draco was hosting a victorious smirk. He saluted to Ron before beckoning at the crowd to part, which it did, advancing towards the end of the hall.

Without thinking, Hermione ran after him.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled, "It's okay, you don't have to hurt him!"

Hermione felt like laughing; she would never do that …

She turned the corner just in time to see his white blonde head disappear into the Prefect's bathroom. She ran forward, quickly uttering the password and rushed in; He was standing by the sink, his calm and collected expression missing as he washed his knuckles clean.

Hermione walked forward, her steps making Draco look up. He gave her half a smile which Hermione did not return. She took hold of his hand, slowly tracing the cut there. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, startling Hermione. She pulled out her wand, tapping the bruise twice with it and then watched it evaporate off his skin.

Draco let out a sigh of relief the same time Hermione did; she leaned forward, blowing on the healed skin before bending her head to plant a kiss there. Draco gasped, but this time, it had nothing to do with the pain. Encouraged by his reaction, Hermione slipped her fingers into his, slowly lifting their entwined hands and stroking her cheek with the back of his. The entire time, Draco was staring at her with conflict raging in his gray eyes, making him look weak and vulnerable.

"Jealousy could kill the cat, too," Hermione whispered. "And I don't want the cat to die."

Draco smiled, stepping forward so they were nose to nose, "I wouldn't want that either."

"I think we torture the cat too much."

"Agreed."

Hermione chuckled sadly before letting out a sigh, stroking the length of his cheekbone with the back of her hand, "Why did you do that, Draco?"

"Do what?"

"Beat Ron up. That was uncalled for."

Draco frowned, stepping away from her. "Uncalled for?" he asked, outraged, "_Uncalled_ for? Don't think I don't know what he did to you, Hermione! I know how to read people's minds now, I found out the day you refused to tell me!"

"What?"

"Look what he did to you!"

"Malfoy -"

"He fucking _broke_ you!"

"Draco, listen to -"

"I refuse to listen to you defending Weasley!"

"DRACO -"

"HOW DARE HE DO THAT TO YOU?"

"WILL YOU LISTEN -"

"HE DESERVES MUCH MORE THAN JUST A MUGGLE BEATING -"

"MALFOY -"

"I want to rip that bastard into shreds," Draco growled, "Do you hear me, Hermione? _Shreds_."

"Oh for fuck's sake, Draco -"

Draco suddenly stepped forward, swooping up both her hands in one swift motion, interlocking their fingers, "Why do you keep on forgiving him, Hermione?"

Hermione stared at him.

Draco's eyes were over bright as he asked, "Why, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed, leaning forward so their foreheads collided.

Draco's eyes went from vulnerable to stoney as he said, "You love him, don't you?"

Hermione did not reply; she simply stared at a spot on his black shoes, not daring to look in his moonstones. Draco suddenly dropped her hands like she had burned him and when Hermione looked up, the former hatred that used to reside in his face once upon a time had returned.

"Goodbye, Granger," he said in that same formal tone.

Hermione parted her lips to say something but Draco was already walking around her and towards the exit, his strut appearing, his jaw setting and looking like it was made of marble; Hermione felt her heart breaking to pieces as she realized that he had gone back to being Malfoy.

He was no longer Draco.

* * *

Please review! ... If you want a quick update. Bwahahahahaha!

xox


	17. Upside Down

**UPSIDE DOWN**

Dressed up like a car crash  
Your wheels are turning but you're upside down  
You say when he hurts you, you don't mind  
Because when he hurts you, you feel alive  
- U2

Hermione simply stood there, stating at the swinging door of the bathroom; she could not move because of the odd feeling deep within her heart. It was like a cloud of depression was emitting from it, making her lose all hope, all faith - just because he was gone … because he had finally realized that what they had was not feasible - not right, not manageable …

The very thought was bringing tears to her eyes.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and Harry and Ron rushed in, both red in the face and panicked, their wands pointing at her. They dropped them as soon as they saw that it was only her in the lavatory, standing as if someone had cursed her.

"Hermione?" Ron exhaled a sigh of relief, striding forward to grab her shoulders and crush her against his chest, "Don't ever do that again."

She did not feel his embrace.

Harry came and hugged her from the back, sandwiching her between the two boys.

She did not feel loved.

"Let go of me," Hermione whispered.

Ron chuckled, pulling her even closer. Harry recognized her tone, raising and eyebrow and pulling away, only to ask hesitantly, "Hermione?"

"Let me go, Ron!" Hermione screamed.

"Hermione, what's gotten into you?" Ron asked, still holding onto her elbows.

"Let her go, mate," Harry said warningly.

"Why? She's my -"

"I'm NOTHING of yours, Ron!" Hermione yelled, her voice echoing in the empty bathroom. She snatched her arm away from his grip, watching the disbelief in his face, "I'm not only book smart you know! I have a mind of my own when it comes to boys and trust me, after all that you've done, I am nothing of yours and you are nothing of mine! Now will you excuse me!"

"Hermione -"

Hermione did not listen to a single word that they had to say. She marched across the bathroom, reaching the door and slamming it as hard as she could. Furious tears were streaming down her cheeks, blurring her vision. She did not want to go to the common room, because they would be there. She did not want to go to the library or the Great Hall. So Hermione threw herself into the nearest broom cupboard to cry her eyes out.

As soon as she closed the doors, a voice groaned, "Oh for fuck's sake, Granger."

She jumped so violently that she knocked over all the products on the shelf to her left.

Draco sighed, "Would it kill you to let me have one moment of peace in my life?"

"I'll leave," Hermione said thickly, turning to the door.

He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her wrist, standing up and looking at her incredulously, "Are you _crying_?"

"No," Hermione hissed, "What makes you think that, Draco?"

"Your eyes are red, Granger."

"It's just the dark, Malfoy."

Draco stared at her before letting go of her wrist and hissing, "Then leave."

Hermione stared at him, blinking her eyes.

"For God's sake, Hermione! Can't you just make up your fucking mind?" Draco yelled, kicking the broom in his frustration so it fell to the floor, "Do you want to stay or do you want to go?"

Hermione did not answer.

"MAKE UP YOUR FUCKING MIND!"

"I CAN'T!" Hermione screamed, shoving him away, "I can't Draco! Can't you see that I'm bloody dying inside?"

"It's not that difficult, Granger -"

"YES IT IS!" Hermione cried, "There's no right in this choice! It's between wrong and wrong; now how the hell am I supposed to know which bloody disastrous path I'm supposed to take?"

"Granger -"

"SHUT UP, DRACO AND JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Hermione yelled, pushing him up against the wall and trying to hold him prisoner. Draco's eyes widened with shock but she pressed her hand to his lips to stop him from saying another word. She sighed and leaned her forehead against his, "Can't you see?"

Draco shook his head, his gray eyes searching her face.

Hermione stared at him before sighing, her shoulders drooping as if she had given up. She removed her hand from his mouth and quietly walked out of the cupboard, leaving Draco standing there, pondering over the meaning of her confusing question.

What couldn't he see?

* * *

Hermione walked towards the whomping willow, Sirius' letter clutched in her hands. It was urgent and short; asking her to meet him in the Shrieking Shack alone. Even the handwriting was scribbled and untidy, unlike his usual font. The night was cold and foggy, leaving her nose red and ready to fall off and her feet sore from the bitter wind and the white snow.

She grabbed a stick, shivering at it's icy stem and prodded the knot which made the tree calm down. She slipped inside and made her way to the shack, humming a tune to keep herself from getting scared. She knew those rumors were not true but they still scared her.

As soon as she entered, a hand grabbed her and threw her onto the couch. Once Hermione had caught her breath she looked up into the face of a gorgeous woman with long, black hair, staring down at her with wide, angry and worried eyes.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked, standing up and pulling out her wand.

The woman laughed softly, pushing aside Hermione's wand, "You don't want to do that, sweetheart.."

Hermione stared.

"Sit down," she commanded.

Hermione sunk back down onto the couch, watching the woman run a hand through her long hair as she paced the room. She stopped and then leaned against a table, the moonlight falling onto her already pale face, emphasizing her beauty, "Does anyone know about you fraternizing with Lucius Malfoy's son?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione gasped.

She rolled her eyes, "Well you weren't exactly hiding it that day in Hogesmeade."

"Who are you?"

She ignored that, bending down with her hands on her knees so that their eyes were at the same level, "Do you have _any_ idea what you're getting yourself into?"

Hermione did not reply.

"Malfoys are bad news. All of them. Trust me."

Hermione was frozen on the couch, staring at her, "I'm not with Draco Malfoy."

"Like hell you're not," she snorted, "I haven't seen this much love in anyone's eyes since the seventies. And the fear in your eyes is giving you away - What exactly do you have with him?"

Hermione didn't say anything.

She sighed, "What has he promised in return for seduction?"

"Nothing!" Hermione yelled, "He hasn't asked for anything!"

"Like I'm supposed to believe that."

"I swear -"

"He's probably keeping some secret of yours."

"I -"

"Or maybe he's planning on -"

"I'm in love with him!"

Hermione didn't know what it was about this woman that had her spilling her darkest secret - It was a secret that Hermione wasn't even yet sure about but as days went by, her feelings and thought only solidified it. The woman stared at Hermione, her chocolate eyes wide and her red lips parted, the little color in her pale skin disappearing.

"Please tell me that's not true," she whispered.

"It is," Hermione wept.

"But you can't be in love with him!" she cried, "He's a potential Death Eater! Voldemort has probably reserved a place for him amongst his little followers!"

Hermione was surprised to hear her calling him by his actual name as very few people did that. She stared at the woman, her eyes wide, "Who _are_ you?"

"Forget _that_!" she said with an impatient wave of her hand, "I'm more interested in knowing what the hell you're going to do about your feelings for this boy! I hope you know just how well he can use them against you!"

"I KNOW! Okay? I know!" Hermione cried, "But I can't help it!"

"Calm down," she said, sitting on the coffee table and taking Hermione's hand, "Just tell me how this happened. Didn't you hate him like the rest of your friends? After all, you're a Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin -"

"I did hate him," Hermione wept, "And if it hadn't been for Ron's stupid idiocy, none of this would have ever happened. Draco and I were both upset and we signed a pact - er - a pact which …"

She rolled her eyes, "Spit it out. I won't say anything."

"Basically a Friends With Benefits thing? Or well, enemies with benefits. Anyway - one thing lead to another and I ended up with these bloody feelings!"

The woman sighed, pushing a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, a look of sorrow crossing her face, "You know what they say. Hate leads to lust and lust leads to love."

Hermione froze.

The woman didn't notice but gave a sad chuckle, "Well I'd be a hypocrite to say anything. The only man I ever loved I hated for four years."

"Oh, my God …" Hermione whispered, staring at this gorgeous woman in front of her with eyes the size of saucers.

She looked up, "What?"

"It's you," Hermione gasped.

"What are you talking about Hermione?" she raised an eyebrow but worry and fear flashed across her face.

"'The only boy you ever loved, you hated for four years'?" Hermione quotes her.

The woman swallowed nervously but then smiled, grief flitting across her face.

"You're her," Hermione whispered, "The girl that Sirius loved."

She smiled at those words, her eyes holding an ancient past of sadness and regret. Hermione had never seen anyone so heartbreakingly beautiful as she nodded before extending her hand, "Iris Hewson."

* * *

Sooo. I told you all from the very beginning that Sirius Black will be playing a very important role in this story.

Okay, guilty I am! I just can't seem to leave Iris out in any story. Stupid girl, I can't control her! Oh by the way, for all those who don't know, UNDISCLOSED DESIRES won the Judge's Pick for Best Story With Dark Elements at The Sweet Quill Awards and IRIS HEWSON won the Judge's Pick for Best OC.

So I promise you, she won't be annoying.

Oh and if you're on twitter, come and talk to me! :D The link is in my profile.

**Please don't give me a slap in the face! Give me a hug and review! :)**


	18. Knows Me Well

**KNOWS ME WELL**

It's not easy being me, when I can't promise I will mend  
Or bend when you believe that we are fixed now from our birth  
And I've just fallen back to Earth  
Still you know I'll try again  
- Third Eye Blind

"But … but …"

Iris sighed.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Hermione gasped, staring a the gorgeous woman in front of her, who seemed to be wishing with all her heart that Hermione hadn't been clever enough to figure out who she was.

"I faked my death," Iris shrugged, "Now. Onto more important matters -"

"Why did you do that?" Hermione persisted.

"Hermione -"

"You really broke Sirius! He was shattered by your death!"

Iris' eyes narrowed, "I am aware of that Hermione. Do you think I liked having to fake my death and wear disguises every time I left the house? Do you think I _liked_ being away from the man I loved?"

"But then why -"

Iris held up a hand and Hermione stopped talk, baffled by the calm power this woman held, "I did it to save Sirius. End of discussion."

"Does he know?"

"Of course he doesn't know!" Iris chuckled darkly, "And we're going to keep it that way. Now. About this entire Draco business … what are you going to do?"

"There's nothing I CAN do," Hermione sighed, "But there _is_ something you can do for yourself and Sirius."

Iris' face became stone hard but then she smiled, it cracking and letting warmth and love shine through. She laughed a soft tinkling laugh, "Both of us keep on trying to make the other the subject of the conversation. How about we discuss more important matters like you and Malfoy first and then we'll discuss the rest?"

Hermione shook her head, "A stupid teenage infatuation has nothing on a - a what? Seventeen, eighteen year old love."

Iris chuckled, "Honey. Had it been just a 'stupid teenage infatuation', I would have not even bothered to come meet you here."

Hermione stared.

"You've got that look in your eye," Iris smiled, "I had it when I was seventeen. Harry's mum did too. A sort of twinkle comes and rests there; it could make you look like a mad man, it could brighten up your whole face, it could change your features - that twinkle is right there. I can see it right now."

Hermione ran a hand through her hair nervously. "What about you?"

Iris shook her head, "My twinkle died. I haven't seen Sirius is more than fifteen years. And in those fifteen years, so many views have been thrown about him being a murdered, about him being a playboy, about being innocent, about him being dead - all these rumors killed that shine. My love is still there and it always will be there, till my dying breath but that type of torture really hurts. It kills the twinkle."

Hermione felt so desperately sorry for Iris, watching the grief embedded into her features become more pronounced with every word she said. Iris sighed and then checked her watch, getting to her feet, "I have to go. But write to me, alright? Tell me how things go. I'll still be on the lookout."

"How do you know who I am?"

Iris smiled, "Sweetheart, I've been watching you since you were eleven."

"Why?" Hermione spluttered.

Iris smiled again, this time more gently, "Because you're my God son's best friend."

o. O. o

Hermione was back to a cold relationship with Ron; she had finally burst his bubble and he was distant and mean to her, snapping comments and throwing flirtatious smiles at Lavender Brown.

"Ron and I are _so_ getting back together!" Lavender gushed, "Parvati, did you _see_ the way he smiled at me?"

"Yes, Lavender," Parvati said, in a somewhat bored voice; speaking as if she was being forced to.

"I'm so sure he's over you know who now!" Lavender grinned. Hermione rolled her eyes, flipping through her book on her bed, wondering if they really thought she couldn't hear just because her blinds were closed, hiding her. "He probably realizes his mistake!"

"I don't think so," Parvati said quietly.

Silence.

"What?"

Parvati's voice stammered a bit when she spoke and Hermione could very well imagine Lavender Brown glaring daggers at the poor girl, "Well … come on, Lavender … It's _Ron_ and _Hermione_."

"WHAT do you mean by THAT? Ron is mine!"

"Lavender, ever since the third year, people have known that they're going to end up together," Parvati sighed, "Their chemistry is too good."

"Our chemistry is good too!"

"Yes, it is," Parvati said impatiently, "But you don't have the depth and the years of friendship that they had."

"But -"

"Lav, I love you to bits but I think you're fighting a lost battle," Parvati sighed, "We all know she's going to end up with Ron."

"But she keeps on rejecting him!"

"And Ron's a fucking boy! And a very typical one at that. Obviously that's going to lead him on! God, Lav."

Hermione suddenly pulled the covers away, revealing her face to a very shocked and stunned Parvati and Lavender and hissed, "Please keep it down. I'm trying to read."

o. O. o

Annoyed, frustrated and angry, Hermione Granger slipped out of the common room that night, only to wander uselessly around Hogwarts. This place had been her home for the past few years but life had become increasingly tiring in this castle.

She knew she had to choose.

But how could she when there was no right choice?

Ron was a moron. And Draco was … well, _Draco_.

How was she supposed to choose between two paths that would inevitably lead to her destruction?

She loved Ron; she always would. There was even a time when she was in love with him and those feelings still hadn't left her heart completely. They were there, among her love for Draco.

Hermione passed the Room of Requirement and decided to go in; she wanted to see the familiar surroundings, where her and Draco would go at it once or twice a week; three or four times if they were having a bad one. She slipped into the room, sighing as the bed, the darkness, the small light from the ceiling came into view.

"You just can't stay away from me, can you?"

She jumped, turning around to look at him, leaning against a well, a few scattered rays of light falling on his face. He was smoking; casually bringing the gillyweed cigarette up to his lips, taking deep drags. "Since when do you smoke?"

"Since when do you get to ask questions about my life?"

"Oh please. I know more about you than all your friends put together. I think I earn the right to."

"But you're not my friend anymore," Draco shrugged.

Hermione felt like she had been slapped, "I'm not?"

Draco sighed and looked up at her from across the room, his gray eyes piercing her, his jaw hard like marble, "How can I when you're Weasley's slave?"

"I'm not -"

"Look at you," Draco hissed, "You're pathetic."

Hermione stood frozen, watching his face twist with hatred and darkness.

"Scrambling forward to forgive him, giving him chances he doesn't deserve, letting him - letting him -" Draco couldn't even get himself to say it. It was like his teeth had turned bitter and he was having trouble talking as he pinched the bridge between his eyes.

"Draco …"

"It's Malfoy to you, Granger."

"Draco, listen …"

"What is it about him?" Draco yelled, his voice echoing in the empty room, bouncing off the walls and hitting Hermione like blades, "What is it about him that makes you love him so much?"

Hermione sighed.

"What is it, Granger?"

"It's a lot of things."

"State a few."

"He … he understands me."

"Bull shit."

"He knows me really well. He … he's been my friend for over six years and we've become very close … he can tell when I'm happy or when I'm down and he … he knows me well …"

Draco suddenly put his hands on her shoulders and Hermione was sure he was going to shake her violently. Instead, he smashed their faces together, enveloping her in what was the most amazing kiss ever. It ended too quickly as he pulled away, his hands on either side of her face, gasping, "Does he know that you chew your lower lip when you're nervous?"

Hermione blinked.

Draco sucked in a shuddering gasp of air, "Does he know you sleep with your lips parted?"

Tears began to form in her eyes.

"Does he know that your eyes become dark when you're angry or lustful?" Draco questioned, moving closer so that his lips were pressed lightly against her, giving them enough room to move and talk, "Does he know that you run your hand through your hair when you don't know what to say?"

"Draco …" Hermione whispered.

"_No one,_" Draco hissed venomously, "_No one_ can know you better than I do. Do you hear me? _No one_."

* * *

Review and I update! If no review, no update! Bwahahahahahaahahah! XD


	19. Come Away With Me

**COME AWAY WITH ME**

And it's you when I look in the mirror  
And it's you who makes it hard to let go  
Sometimes you can't make it on your own  
- U2

Hermione shivered as he continued to stare at her with his silvery ice eyes, set in what looked like a frown. He was gazing right into her soul, watching the fierce battle take place, his head falling when he realized that it would be a long one - that she would always love Weasley no matter how horrible he was to her.

But he was one to talk, he thought. After all, Draco had been horrible to her too.

He let go of her wrists and stepped away from her as if she had burned him. Hermione looked up, her expression desperate.

"I -"

"Save it."

"Draco -"

"Hermione …" he sighed, "What we had was sexual. What you and Weasley have is emotional. I can't compete with that."

"No one is asking you to compete."

"I put myself in the competition and usually, I'll fight till I win. But what's the point if I know I'll just spoil the prize?"

Hermione stepped forward. delicately touching his arm, "Draco, what are you saying?"

He sighed, running a hand through his tousled white, blonde hair, "I'm saying …"

He looked straight into her vulnerable eyes, forgetting the words that had formed in his head just a minute ago.

"I don't know what I'm trying to say."

Hermione's gaze went from soft to cruel; turning into a hard glare. She turned around and swore, kicking the side of the bed violently and screaming, "Why does everything have to be so God damn hard? Why can't you and I just be friends? Is that SO bloody difficult, huh, Draco? Is it some sort of death sentence for you?"

Draco did not speak for a long time but watched her back shaking as tears escaped her already wet eyes, "We were never really friends, Hermione."

Hermione looked up, rubbing her wet eyes with the back of her hand, "We could try, Draco. There's no harm in trying."

"Have you SEEN us?" Draco asked, horrified, "Have you see the chemistry, the fucking sexual tension? How the hell are we supposed to just be friends Hermione? It's _physically_ impossible for me!"

"So it's just about the physical stuff to you?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow, "It was always the sex?"

Draco stared at her, frozen and rooted to the spot. He could not say a word, his teeth stuck together like he had chewed on an enormous amount of toffee. Hermione was staring at him, a sad expression on her face before shaking her head, letting it fall, letting her shoulders slump.

"I can't believe you," she mumbled before turning to leave the room.

"No! Hermione -"

"You," she turned to face him, shoving his chest, "You _sick_ -" she shoved him again so that he had to take a step back to regain his balance - "_Pathetic_ -" He grabbed her wrists to stop her from hitting her - "_Ass hole_."

"Hermione -"

"I was just SEX to you?"

"Granger, listen -"

"No, YOU listen, Draco!" Hermione hissed, pulling out her wand and jabbing it to the side of his neck threateningly, "Don't you dare try and come near me again! I'm done with you - I don't want ten dying wishes, I don't want witty conversations, I don't want mind-blowing sex, I just want OUT!"

Draco sighed and pulled her close, "Well too bad." He pushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, smiling, "That's the only thing I don't want to give to you."

"WHY ARE YOU SO FUCKING CONFLICTED?" Hermione roared, "One minute, you're telling me I'm better off without you, the other minute you're saying you don't want to let me go! One minute you say you adore Voldemort, the next minute you're doubtful about joining him! Make up your mind, Malfoy!"

Draco laughed snidely, "You're one to talk Hermione. You're more conflicted than I am and you know it."

"At least I have a REASON to be!" Hermione screamed, snatching her arm away from him.

He grabbed her elbows, pulling her flush against his body. She pushed him away again but he did let her pull away, he held on tighter.

He breathed in the sweet smelling scent of her hair, his face buried in it, "How could you possibly think it was just about the sex for me?"

Hermione let out a shivering gasp of air, finally relaxing her tense hands, hanging on to his shirt for dear life. He sighed again, his voice like melted chocolate as it washed over her, thick and sweet, "How could you say that what I had for you was just physical? I yearn for you, yes. But I also haven't ever been this close to anyone if my life. Not Crabbe, not Goyle, not Pansy. And the fact that my first very embarrassing speech was with you should give you a clue."

He looked down at her, wiping a tear away with his thumb, "You're special to me and you know that."

Hermione couldn't stand that silver, intense gaze of his and looked down, letting her head rest against the crook of his neck while he traced soothing circles on her back. For years to come, Hermione would relive this moment and smile, feel that tingling on the small of her back that had been embedded into her mind in such a way that she could feel it for the rest of her life. She was taking short, quick gasps of air, when Draco said softly, "Come away with me."

* * *

This chapter is ridiculously short, horribly written, disgustingly rushed and I'm really SORRY! My exams are just taking up a lot of time these days and this was the best I could do. Hopefully it wasn't enough to make you hate me and leave this story without reviewing!

So **REVIEW**. :)


	20. I Am The Highway

**I AM THE HIGHWAY**

Friends and liars don't wait for me  
Cause I'll get on all by myself  
I put millions of miles under my feet  
And still too close to you, I feel  
I am not your rolling wheels, I am the highway  
I am not your carpet ride, I am the sky  
- Audioslave

"A car?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrow as she saw the black jeep parked just outside Hogesmeade.

Draco shrugged indifferently, opening the door for her and running a hand in his hair with the other one, "Makes it difficult for them to track us if we use non magical ways of transport."

"But where are we _going_?"

Draco smiled, his teeth glinting in the sunshine, "Brighton."

"The beach?" she chuckled, sliding into the car, enjoying the feel of the black leather against her skin.

Draco smiled and shut the door, walking around the car and settling down, plunging the key into the hole and starting up the engine with a great roar, rolling the windows down to let the cool air blow their hair and calm them down. "You don't have to do this, you know."

Hermione shrugged, fiddling with the radio, "I know I don't _have_ to. I _want_ to."

"Okay, then," Draco pulled out his wand, tapped the steering wheel twice and whispered a few words. He placed his hands on the wheel and he began to turn it, but Hermione knew that it was really magic that was driving the car. And indeed, once they were on the highway leading to Brighton, he let go of the steering wheel and sat back to relax.

"So what exactly are we doing on this trip?" Hermione asked, rolling down her window, making her hair blow along side the wind.

"I have to get some work done," Draco answered, "You, on the other hand, can relax."

"What kind of work?"

"Just some work."

"You're being secretive again," Hermione groaned, "It's like you want the _cat_ to die."

"_When_ are we going to stop using this proverb?" Draco laughed.

"Stop trying to change the subject."

"Hermione, it's just some work I have to get done. It's nothing big; my mother wants me to deliver a letter to her sister. She's too proud to go face the blood traitor herself so she's sending me. Because of course, my pride can be trampled on."

Draco looked away bitterly out into the lush green gardens of London. Hermione stared at him, wondering how they went from a light conversation to this bitter silence. She put a hand on his knee, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'd rather not."

"I wish you would talk to me, Draco."

"I can't do that. I can't do that with anyone. _Especially_ not with you."

"And why not?"

"Isn't is obvious, Hermione?" Draco sighed, throwing her an exasperated look, "You're on a different side. If I reveal to you what has been revealed to me, I will disgust you so much you won't want to see another hair of my head."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Trust me, it'll take a lot more than some dark secrets to scare me off."

"You're saying that now," Draco groaned, cracking open a can of some drink, "But later, when you find out, your reaction will be completely different."

"What exactly has been 'revealed' to you?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me Potter's secrets."

"I can't tell you -"

"Exactly," Draco hissed, rather angrily, "My loyalty lies with the Dark Lord, Hermione, just like your's lies with Potter. I can't betty him."

"Draco, do you _honestly_ believe that what Voldemort is doing is _right_?" Hermione asked incredulously, rolling her eyes when she saw Draco wince at the sound of his name.

Draco sighed, "Hermione, is there really any right or wrong in this world? It's all grey matter. Evil and good are just somethings we've made up. How do we know for _sure_ that pre marital sex is bad? How do we know that drinking isn't actually a blessing? How do we know _anything_? This entire belief in what's right and what's wrong - I don't buy it."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, confused, "What do you mean? We know all these things! All the answers are there in the Bible -"

"Hermione, does the common man properly follow the principles of religion? Don't tell me they do cause that's just a load of bull shit."

"How did we go from your reluctance to answer my question to religion?" Hermione demanded after a couple of moments of silence.

Draco burst out laughing, putting his hands on the wheel and pretending to drive as they passed a few shops on the road. He chuckled, shaking his head at Hermione, "That's what I like about being with you. I don't have to worry about anything. It's like you can take away the knot in my chest."

"How can I when you don't even _talk_ to me?"

"Your very presence calms me down, Hermione."

Hermione frowned, turning away from Draco to look out of the window. Maybe what he said was meant as a compliment but in reality, Hermione thought it was more or less an insult. Hermione's heart would start beating wildly around Draco, making her jittery and the opposite of calm.

"It's a shame we're so different …"

Hermione was still thinking of how she did not have the same impact on him as he did on her when he whispered the words that still rang in her ears, many years later;

"Because you're most probably the best thing that's happened to me so far."

* * *

OH MY GOD. You want to kill me? GO AHEAD.

Yes, I took very long with this chapter. Yes, it's very short. Yes, it's incredibly sucky. I just hope my rambling excuses are enough to tell you why this is a short and dumb chapter.

You see, I want to get into Yale. And for that, I need extra curriculars. Debates, MUNing, Drama and all these other stupid things I've signed myself up for are QUITE tiring and time consuming. I rarely get the time to watch Television, for God's sake! I've forgotten all the television channel numbers! =O

And also, I think the story needed a break from all the intense drama and conversations. I tried to make this chapter as light as possible but I don't really think that's possible with Dramione :P

Any way, hopefully I'll be able to update soon with a better excuse of a chapter :P

**_Review_** please! :)


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